Battlestar Victorious Volume 4:When Fates Collide
by Wes Imlay
Summary: The Battle of Ostarsis is over now the remants of BSG-66 must deal with the battle's aftermath along with learning to work with the newly-discovered group of survivors. New challenges await both the military and the civillians.
1. Chapter 1: The Darkest Hour

**Battlestar **_**Victorious**_** Volume Four: When Fates Collide**

**Chapter One: The Darkest Hour**

**Dothan System:**

The vast fleet of civilian ships moved through the Dothan System awaiting the return of the task force that had left for the Libran moon of Ostarsis. Where there had once been at least a token force of Colonial Fleet warships to protect them, now there were none to be found. All it had taken was a single distress call that had been broadcast in the clear throughout the Twelve Colonies. Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan had felt compelled to call out for whatever ships could come to his aid at Ostarsis. The reaction had been swift as the battlestar _Victorious, Achilles_, and _Maytoria_ had jumped away, along with the cruisers _Pelagiad, Caldera, Neleus, Rielle_ and _Atatar_, to come to the aid of the task force. The only source of protection was the baseship_ Revenge_, a Cylon War era baseship that had been captured by the Eastern Alliance and turned into a base of operations for the erstwhile group of pirates.

_**Olympica**_**, Luxury Suite 12:**

Leon Delroy looked out the windows of his luxury suite and gazed at the stars. The star pyramid player had used his suspension from the Gemenon Twins not to reflect on the vicious hit on Caprica Buccaneer star Samuel Anders that had caused him to be suspended for the last five games of the season but to relax and indulge himself instead. The maiden voyage of the _Olympica_ was one such indulgence. The first voyage of the massive luxury liner was booked with the kind of celebrities one would be envious to be around, and his celebrity as a sports star ensured he would be considered one of the A-List celebrities on the cruise.

'That was a lifetime ago,' he thought has he took a sip of the amber-colored ambrosia he had poured.

Since the aftermath of the attacks he had tried his best to put his celebrity to good use. With a group of pyramid players that were either onboard the _Olympica_ or on other civilian vessels he had organized an impromptu pyramid league to raise morale among the people. He had become the Owner/Coach/General Manager/Franchise Player of the reborn 'Gemenon Twins'. Other players had brought created teams both current and past. From the modern-era there were the newly-formed Picon Panthers, Tauron Bulls, Sagittaron Archers, Leonis Wildcats, Caprica Buccaners, Canceron Hydras, Virgon United, Scorpia Stingers, and Aerilon Threshers. Past teams from the pre-Colonization era had been reborn to go with the 'Modern Era' teams. The impromptu league boasted the reborn Boskirk All Reds, Hades Vice, Illumini Vipers, Delphi Legion, Phoebus Suns, Olympia Stallions, and Argentum Bay Silverstars. He took this new league seriously enough to where he and the other 'owners' tried to get the people who could be more on the level of professional players. He had been forced to take a few who never got past college pyramid or simply did not last long on the professional stage. He may not have been able to contribute much militarily but it was nice to be able to do something, and he was not ashamed to admit that he wanted to hold on to a part of his old life.

His old life, a thought even he found hard to take in after eight months. He was twenty-seven now and his childhood back on Picon seemed an eternity ago. He had spent his youth in the city of Gray and all his life he wanted to be a professional pyramid player. After he graduated from the University of Memphis he had been the first round draft pick of the Picon Panthers. His rookie year he had been a part of the push that landed the Panthers with the Kobol Cup, before he was even in his mid twenties he had fulfilled his childhood dreams. He had enjoyed the fame and fortune that came with his life, but even scandal could find him. Such was the case when he dated actress Neveah Ratliff and their stormy on/off relationship had created many tabloid headlines in the press. The proverbial last straw came after he had gotten into a fight at a nighclub in Pailyn when he had tried to take home another man's girlfriend. That incident led Panthers ownership to decide that their star player was too much of a headache and they worked out a trade that sent him to Scorpia. He played the remainder of his rookie contract with Scorpia but he refused to even consider a new contract with the team and immediately planned to score a huge payday in free agency. When Gemenon offered him a contract that would pay him over one hundred million cubits over seven years he jumped at it and did not look back.

He had worries about playing on Gemenon but he had adjusted well enough, and the fans adored him as much as the ones on Picon had. Sure the majority of the Gemenese took their religion more seriously than he did but for the amount of money he was being paid he simply kept quiet. The money was good, the amount of adoration he received from the fans was incredible, and he was a major celebrity on the colony so he did what he could to make the Twins ownership happy. He was fond of quoting that he would deliver the Kobol Cup to Gemenon much like he had done for Picon. He felt a pang of regret knowing that it was a promise he would never be able to keep.

A noise brought him out of his thoughts. There was a stirring on the bed behind him; it was the reporter who had interviewed him after the game the night before when his 'Twins' had defeated Orlando Salazar's 'Panthers' in a pyramid game. He had promised her an 'in-depth' exclusive and she was more than happy to take him up on his offer. She was sleeping soundly but he realized that he was unable to sleep.

So, he just sat there and watched the stars as the _Olympica_ moved through space. It came as a shock to him when a mass of bright flashes illuminated the dark void. He watched in amazement as ship after ship showed up on the edge of the civilian fleet. His mind was quick to inform him that this had to be Admiral Tolan's armada that had left for Ostarsis. He walked closer and saw that almost every single ship bore some kind of battle damage. Their once pristine hulls were now scarred by burn marks where he was certain the Cylon weaponry had scored direct hits. Some of them looked decidedly worse for wear and he thought it a minor miracle that they were even staying together.

'Gods, just how hard did the Cylons fight?' Delroy asked himself as he stood there at his window and gazed at awe at the returning task force.

He notice a single Viper launch from one of the battlestars. He looked at the flight pod and read the name _Helios_. He had heard the name before; it had been some time ago, at the _Olympica_'s night club Verbeia where several of the crewmembers were enjoying shore leave. They had toasted the _Helios_ and proclaimed it the 'luckiest ship in the fleet'.

'You came back from the battle so maybe you are a lucky ship,' he thought as he gazed at the _Helios_.

There was the sound of soft footsteps behind him and suddenly he felt a slender pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"I see the fleet has come in," Helen Octavia said as she took in the sight of the warships.

"They look like they took a beating," Delroy said before getting out of her grasp to look her in the face, "If you slept with me to get a better story well, I have to admire your technique."

"I had to get an edge somehow, I think I more than earned an exclusive," Octavia said with a sly smile.

"I think I can work that out where you get a one-on-one interview with me."

"When I boarded this ship it was for a voyage around the colonies to take my mind off of my problems. Now I'm putting my journalism classes to good use and I snagged an interview with one of the more popular pyramid players. Life can have its twists and turns," she said as she took Delroy by the hand and led him back to the bed.

Delroy did not fight her; it would be nice to keep him from having to dwell too much on the last eight months. He may not have known Helen Octavia all that well but he was not about to turn down the welcome distraction that she was offering.

As he looked back one last time, he saw one of the battlestars move away from the group of warships and vanish in a flash of light.

**Ragan System:**

In a bright flash of light, the _Victorious_ completed its jump into the Ragan System.

Commander Andre Graystone and Colonel Celina Cruz looked up at the DRADIS display above the Command and Control Station. Each one mentally prayed that if there were any DRADIS contacts that it would be the_ Colossus _or some other friendly ship.

"Negative contacts," Ensign Jared Simons reported from Tactical.

"Perhaps there is something interfering with our DRADIS. Do you think we should launch Vipers for a visual search?" Cruz asked, not really believing what she was saying.

Graystone nodded.

"We need to be as thorough as we can with this search. Get me the CAG; I want to brief him on what is going on."

Cruz nodded and walked over to Communications and relayed Graystone's request to Lieutenant Enid Branwen. Minutes later the doors to the CIC slid open and in walked Major Rockwell Alston. Alston had recently become the CAG of _Victorious_ and had led the air group into battle when the battlestar had jumped into the fray at Ostarsis.

"You sent for me, Commander?" Alston asked once he arrived at Command and Control.

"I'm ordering the air group launched. I want some of our flyers to stay behind in case the Cylons show up, I'll leave who stays behind up to you but most of the pilots are going to be out searching this system for any sign of the _Colossus_."

"Understood, sir. If we find any of sign of debris, you'll be among the first to know," Alston said as he turned to leave the CIC.

"I prefer we run into the _Colossus_ instead of the Cylons. At Ostarsis we had safety in numbers but out here, not so much," Cruz said.

"If we don't run into them here I may expand the search to the neighboring systems, perhaps the FTL malfunctioned and they jumped to one of those," Graystone said as he looked at the map of the Ragan system and its neighbors.

"I hope so; we have to assume that they're out there somewhere."

Cruz thought about how she was going to phrase her next statement before she said, "How much time and resources are you willing to invest on this search?"

Graystone looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Is there a reason behind asking that?"

"You saw how many baseships the Cylons had thrown into the fray at Ostarsis, and the _Colossus_ was the only ship that was unable to jump away. There may be a chance that Admiral Tolan and the crew are not even out here. We can't risk losing this ship or getting separated from the rest of the fleet searching for someone who could very well be dead."

"I owe it to Scott to look for him; he dragged our asses out of the _Atlantia_ when we could have died. He's family, Celina, and I cannot abandon family, especially at a time like this. I'll spend every minute I can searching for him."

Graystone saw Cruz about to argue and cut her off.

"I won't risk this ship and its crew needlessly, but I am going to use every chance to search for the _Colossus_. I refuse to leave our people behind."

"Unless you have to," Cruz finally said after a long pause.

"Unless I have to," Graystone said quietly.

**Viper Squadron One Ready Room:**

"The orders are for us to use stims if we need them," Captain Brant 'Wizard' Martin said to the pilots that composed the _Victorious_' Viper Squadron One.

"Any word on what we can expect to find out there?" Lieutenant Jamaal 'Big Daddy' Powers

"The CAG mentioned that we may find the _Colossus_ out there, wreckage of some sort, or even nothing at all. This system was the fallback location for the task force and that's why we're going to search it thoroughly just in case," Martin said.

"Where is the CAG?" Ensign Weston 'Riddler' Zimmerman asked before any of the other pilots had a chance to speak.

"He's coordinating with the other squadron commanders. The plan right now," Martin said as he brought a map of the Ragan System up on the view screen, "We are dividing the system into the sections each squadron will be responsible for."

"What are the chances of the Cylons showing up?" Lieutenant Willis 'Wise Guy' Sykes asked.

"No telling; but if the Cylons by some chance show up, then alert the _Victorious_ and come back here immediately. Do not engage the enemy."

"I guess that's going to take the fun out the assignment," Ensign Maurice 'Slick' Price joked.

Martin shook his head, "Yeah, that is going to take away your fun, but I think it's safe to say that right now survival is more important than having fun. We just got some hits in against the toasters at Ostarsis, which should be enough to hold us for a little while."

"How long until we launch?" Lieutenant Merlin 'Magician' O'Neill asked.

"We launch in twenty minutes. The deck gang is busy doing some repairs and maintenance on our Vipers. When I get the okay from Chief Vance we'll head to the hangar deck and prepare to launch," Martin said as he headed out of the ready room to confer with Major Alston and then with Chief Avis Vance.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Lieutenant Douglas 'Sandman' Exeter when Martin left the room.

"The Admiral has to be one tough son of a bitch to knock off. You'd think after all this time the Cylons would have learned that," Lieutenant William 'Wraith' Llewellyn commented though his tone did not quite match the bravado of his statement.

"If I had my way we'd find the _Colossus_ and Admiral Tolan quickly. He's one of the officers I would hate to lose," Ensign Raquel 'Gold' Maddox said.

"I agree. Though it looked like the _Colossus_ was taking one hell of a pounding before we got the order to land back on the _Vic_ and jump out," Ensign Alejandra 'Grass' Santos said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, that ship was probably targeted by all of the baseships there at Ostarsis," Ensign Godfrey 'G-Man' Chevalier added.

"You'd think the _Colossus_ was designed so that it could take a pounding from the Cylons and keep going, so perhaps we'll find it intact," Ensign Joseph 'Flame-Out' Stryker said.

"From what I saw before landing on the _Vic_ it looked like the Cylons were trying to hit the ship with every weapon they had," Ensign Jade 'Green Eyes' Jensen commented.

"We won't know for sure until we're out there. Suit up and get ready to fly," Martin said.

Now was the time for him to leave the squad room and see if the Raptors were ready to do their part.

**Thirty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Raptor Eight-Two-One:**

"Still nothing," Captain Frederick 'Spider' Lokrum said.

"What are the odds that we'll find something in this sector?" Lieutenant Douglas Gillette, the pilot of Raptor Seven-Nine-One, asked.

"It's probably the same as it is in the other sectors," Lieutenant Edward London, the pilot of Raptor Eight-One-Eight, said.

"Keep the chatter down, you two," Lokrum chided the pilots, the last thing he wanted to do was clog the communications channel with unnecessary talk.

"I'm seeing something off to the left," London reported.

"Can you tell what it is?" Lokrum asked.

"It looks like a piece of wreckage; that's all I can tell right now," London said.

"Let's get the Raptors in close and turn on our search lights," Lokrum said to his pilots.

"Copy that, Spider, we'll stay where we are unless the toasters show up," Lieutenant O'Neill said.

The three Raptors moved in close and turned on their searchlights. The large piece of wreckage was decidedly manmade and bore the black scars of fire damage. To the right of it were the remains of a Viper Mark VII.

"I'll run a scan on the wreckage to see if it matches with any Colonial designs," Ensign Alfred Trajan said as he entered the image scan of the wreckage to see what ships in the Colonial Fleet database it would match.

"London, I want you to get a closer look at that Viper so we can see what battlestar it may have come from," Lokrum said and watched as London's Raptor moved in.

"Captain, we've run the tail number on the Viper and it comes up as belonging to Viper Squadron One of the Battlestar _Hermes_," London said after he had received the information from his ECO.

"Let's see if our wreckage matches the _Jupiter_ class," Lokrum said as a small feeling of relief began to come over him. If that Viper was from another battlestar, then just maybe, the wreckage was from the _Hermes_ and not the _Colossus_.

"We have a match," Trajan exclaimed as the computer showed the type of ship the wreckage had come from.

"What is it?" Lokrum asked.

Trajan's voice held a grave tone when he said, "It's a Mark 48 Rangefinder from the _Colossus_, and it was the only ship of the class to receive this type."

Trajan looked at the scan of the wreckage and the line drawing below it. In blinking red letters was the word 'Match'; above the line drawing in black letters was 'Battlestar _Colossus_.'

Lokrum's heart sank at the idea that the _Colossus_ had been lost suddenly became a reality in his eyes, "Let's see if Commander Graystone wants us to search for more wreckage. I don't think we're going to find an intact battlestar out here."

**Battlestar **_**Victorious**_**, CIC:**

"Thank you," Graystone said as he put the receiver back into its cradle.

"What is it?" Cruz asked.

"They found the wreckage of a Viper that was from the Battlestar _Hermes_ and wreckage that could have only come from a _Titan_ class battlestar."

"Gods," Cruz muttered before asking, "What are you planning to do now?"

"Search this entire system until I know for sure one way or another," Graystone said with a strong hint of determination to his voice.

"Just between the two of us, you may want to get back to the fleet as soon as possible. It's important that we let Governor Rush and Admiral Kronus know what we found."

"We need to be thorough about this," he countered.

"There is no telling if you're being thorough or reckless. What if the Cylons come back before we can recover our air wing?"

"It's not like you to be this worried?"

"I've been a CAG and now an XO since the Cylons attacked, I had to mature quickly from who I was eight months ago."

"Remember where we were at when the attacks came. If Scott hadn't have rescued us from the_ Atlantia_ we'd have died there in our Vipers. I owe him for that."

"Admiral Tolan did what he had to do at Ostarsis to give all of us time to escape from the Cylons. That sacrifice will have been wasted if you continue this search. It's a big system out there and we're going to push our pilots' endurance to the limit if we keep this up."

"Look at what we found so far," Graystone countered.

"Yes, all it seems to do is confirm my worst fears. We need to get back to where we will be protected and not so open to a surprise attack. If Scott is dead and the _Colossus_ destroyed then we need to make sure that their loss means something."

Graystone was quiet as he pondered this before he finally said, "We'll do a quick search of the rest of the system and see what we can find and then jump back to the fleet."

Cruz nodded her agreement.

"That's a compromise I can live with."

_**One Hour, Fourteen Minutes Later:**_

_**Olympica**_**, E-Deck, Cabin 67:**

Aurelia Gilliam, the Sagittaron representative to the Quorum of Twelve, was sound asleep in her cabin on the _Olympica_ when the door opened suddenly. The shock caused her to snap out of her sleep and to sit up in bed.

"What the frak?" she asked as she began to clear her mind.

"Sorry for barging in here," Eli Hunter, her chief-of-staff, stood there trying to catch his breath.

He had been having a drink in the _Olympica_'s Iasos Lounge with one of the people from Peter Halle's staff.

"Where were you coming from? You look like you just ran a cross-country race," Gilliam asked.

"I was in the Iasos Lounge having a drink with Elsa Halle. When we got the news, we both left the lounge. I came here to see you and she went to tell her father," Hunter said.

Peter Halle was the Libran representative on the new Quorum of Twelve and was somewhat of an ally to Gilliam. He did not share the deep mistrust of the military that she did, but he was certainly cautious about how much authority they were allowed to have.

Gilliam got out bed and walked over to where Hunter was standing.

"What's this news that you heard?"

"The task force has returned from Ostarsis with the prisoners that were on the planet. The problem is that there is a rumor going about that Admiral Tolan and the_ Colossus_ are not among those who returned."

Gilliam's mouth dropped, but then her look of shock was replaced with one of delight.

"This is the best thing I could have hoped for!"

"I really don't think that's wise," Hunter cautioned.

"Tolan is probably dead and that means he can no longer be a thorn in my side. I fail to see a downside to this."

Hunter stepped in closer.

"Think about it like this; right now Tolan is probably a hero to some of the families in this fleet because he may have brought their loved ones back when they could have easily been presumed dead. Not to mention that attacking him or even celebrating his death could turn him into a martyr who is more powerful in death than he was when he was alive."

"So you're recommending that I should mourn the fact that he's not here?"

"It's the prudent thing to do. I know how devoted to peace you are but this is not the time to pick a fight. When the glow wears off from the rescue at Ostarsis then you can go on the offensive."

"You do realize this is hard for me to do," Gilliam admitted.

"I know it's hard for you to do but I can assure you that this will get us more support in the long run."

"Fine, I'll take your advice. However, don't think for one second that I'm not going to dance all over that bastard's grave!"

Hunter shook his head with a sad look on his face.

"I'd have expected nothing less from you."

"Anything else I need to know about?"

"There's going to be an emergency meeting of the Quorum in about three hours, I think Governor Rush is trying to gather as many facts as he can before the meeting."

"In that case, we should get ready; go get the rest of the staff together while I get changed. We need a strategy going into this meeting that will throw Rush and the rest of them off balance."

"Also, according to the rumors mill the Battlestar _Gemenon_ is under the part-time command of an Arthur Wallace!" says Hunter seeing the reaction on Gilliam's face.

"So, Tolan is gone but the great asshole is back. Wonderful!" shouted Gilliam, as she sighed, realizing that the man she considered to be one of her greatest enemy had returned. In hindsight it had probably been too much to hope the Cylons had killed him.

**Sertis - Beta System: **

**Amasen Station:**

The space station known as _Amasen_ buzzed with the activity of a base during wartime. The difference was that this installation, constructed from the hulls of two incomplete battlestars, held a large number of civilians along with its military personnel.

This base had been a refuge for the battlestars _Stryker_, _Ark Royal_, _Gemenon_, and _Libran _along with their various support vessels yet it was under the command of an officer from the Ministry of Intelligence. Major Arthur Wallace had been given a commission as a Colonial Fleet officer as well as command of the station. To assist the Colonial Marines were a Ministry of Intelligence task force under Wallace's command known as 'The Gladiators'. Two of these members were on their way to meet with him.

Natalia 'Black Widow' Romanova and Carmen Bayonet walked by the Marines stationed on guard duty at the door and entered Wallace's Office. Romanova saw Wallace sitting behind his desk drinking a soda and looking over some reports that had come in from the Tactical and Communications departments.

Wallace looked up finally realizing they were there, "What?"

"Our scout ship received a communiqué from the battlestars that jumped to Ostarsis," replies Bayonet.

"I don't see the problem; it would appear that they discovered a large fleet of both military and civilian ships!" answered Wallace.

"Aurelia Gilliam is rumored to be alive and well within this fleet. I would also like to let you know it is the _Victorious_' fleet that was mentioned in that report we received from the Cylon communications buoy we tapped," said Romanova and she was more than a little surprised to seeing Wallace's eyeballs burn with the intensity of a nuclear bomb.

Wallace cringed when he heard his friend, Sergeant Major Darrell 'Tank' Robinson laugh and say, "I told you that you should have killed that bitch!"

"Carmen, before _Victorious_' fleet arrives I want to you prepare for Gilliam's death, hmm, if I order it!" ordered Wallace as he realized he was going to get a second chance to eliminate Gilliam.

Bayonet nodded and turned to walk out of Wallace's office with Tank following behind her. When the door closed, Wallace gave Romanova a look.

Romanova knew the look in his eyes all too well and she asked, "How many women are you sleeping with?"

"Just four!" answered Wallace with a certain casual indifference.

"What are you going to do whenever they all find out?" she asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

"Truth is that I'll just do what I always do, use my charm and play them against each other," answered Arthur with a mischievous laugh.

"You're one manipulative bastard!" she exclaimed

"Maybe but you love me anyway."

"That I do," answered Romanova.

"Natalia, you have something on your mind. What is it?"

Romanova thought of her words before she said, "I hate to think about what it's going to be like when this fleet arrives here."

"Why are you worried about it?"

"With everything that's been accomplished here on Amasen it might cause more trouble than it's worth."

"We'll make it work…we'll have to make it work or else we won't stand a chance against the Cylons. I'm going to have to take a blind leap on this one; I'm going to have to trust Admiral Tolan is nothing like his crime family relatives from Canceron. One of the lessons Admiral Stryker taught me was to never trust a Tolan."

Romanova walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who has reservations."

Wallace put a hand over hers.

"You're not the only one, but you can't doubt that it's going to work out."

"Is that your over-confidence talking?"

"More like my cautious optimism; if the data from the _Gemenon_ is correct then we have found ourselves a trump card we can play in this war."

"Even if Aurelia Gilliam is part of the package?"

Wallace turned away from her and walked over to the viewport that allowed him to look out at the stars on the horizon, "Even if she's part of the package. The good news is that if she becomes a problem for me I still have nothing to worry about. After all, 'accidents' happen every day."

"Would the same apply to Admiral Tolan?"

"I think you know me well enough to know the answer to that question," replied Wallace, kissing Natalia and taking her in his arms.

_**Solace**_**, Cabin CA-132:**

The phone on the nearby stand began to ring, catching the attention of all who were in the room. Kronus stared at the women and by the looks on their faces; he judged that none of them were really in much of a condition to answer a phone.

"Yes," Kronus said once he picked up the phone.

Sakura watched as Kronus handed the phone to Brooke Bowman and she promptly took the phone from him.

"Hello," she said as she tried to get her thoughts and emotions under control.

"Delegate Bowman, this is Nirmala Patel from Governor Rush's office."

"Is there something the Governor needs?"

"There is an emergency meeting of the Quorum of Twelve in approximately three hours and as the Caprica representative you need to be there. I know about Admiral Tolan and I have heard that you were…are close friends; I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you."

Brooke Bowman did her best to pull herself together mentally. She may not have wanted to be on the _Olympica _for the meeting of the Quorum but she had taken on the job when asked and it was her responsibility to be there.

"Of course, I will be on the shuttle that takes Admirals Kronus and Sakura."

_**Olympica**_**, Conference Room A-4:**

The Colonial Line had intended for _Olympica_ to serve as a venue for conferences and conventions whenever it was not on one of its cruises. In the aftermath of the Fall of the Colonies, the impromptu government used the conference rooms as meeting rooms.

In Conference Room A-4 sat the five officers who had come over to the _Olympica_ in the aftermath of the Battle of Ostarsis. Rear Admirals Lewis Ware and Nicholas Tattnall were seated at the table in the center of the room along with Commander Jerome Cyprian, Commander Audra Ortiz, and Colonel Cinta Melati, none of the officers seemed to have much to say.

"Perhaps they're wondering what to do with me, it's not like I played nice with the Colonial government in the past," Melati said.

She had spent most of her adult life with the Erebea, a pirate/Tauron separatist group, and she was certain that even with the turn of events that the grudges against her and her group would not be so easily forgotten.

"Come off it, Melati; it's not like you're that important a prize. You may have been eight months ago, but not so much now," Ware said.

"Besides, if anyone gets to kill you it's going to be me. Gods know I've worked harder at it than anyone else the last three years," Tattnall said.

He had been the Commanding Officer of the Battlestar _Libran_. It had been his task to hunt down and eliminate the Erebea.

"We did have fun playing cat-and-mouse, Commander, but you know who else was hard at work trying to end my life," Melati said and she knew by the look on Tattnall's face that he had connected the dots as to whom she was referring.

"Yeah, and he came damn near close to pulling it off; if the Cylons had waited another day you and the Erebea would have been destroyed," Tattnall said.

"Then you wouldn't have had the _Gemenon_ at your disposal," Melati countered.

The plan had been to take the decommissioned _Gemenon_ and present it as a refurbished battlestar that the Erebea could use in its fight to create an independent Tauron. Once all of the Erebea had boarded, remote-detonated explosives would destroy the ship.

"How well do you get along with Arthur?" Ortiz asks, who has always felt that Wallace was undressing her with his eyes.

"We get along as well as you can expect a pair of lovers who also work together," Melati said.

"I've had to deal with him for almost eight months, I don't know how you managed it for all those years," Cyprian added.

Arthur Wallace, a member of the Ministry of Intelligence as well as the Colonial Fleet Special Unit, or CFSU, had led the other part of the two-pronged assault on the Erebea. The Colonial Fleet Special Unit was a unit composed of individuals not in the Colonial Military. However, they had received military training on par with the military's elite Special Forces.

"Amazing sex, Commander Cyprian; lots and lots of amazing sex. I mean Arthur can make my eyes roll back in my head. Besides, Arthur's equipment is…" Melati said.

She saw the looks come over the faces of both Cyprian and Tattnall. While she figured it may not be true, she could not help but think that both Cyprian and Tattnall were somewhat reserved regarding sex, she continued with, "…as well as the weapons and intel he provided for me when he was using his cover identity."

"I'm starting to think you do things like that just for the fun of it," Tattnall added.

"That's interesting. Here I am irritating the man who was trying for three years to kill me," she shot back at Tattnall.

"You can't say you didn't have it coming, just how many deaths were you and your group of pirates responsible for?" Tattnall asked.

Melati slammed her hand on the table.

"We are not pirates; we are a military group that dates back to the early days of Tauron. We have a sense of honor, which a Colonial officer like you could never understand!"

"Funny thing, Colonel Melati, you are wearing the uniform of the government you despise so much. You may want to say the word 'Colonial' in a way that doesn't sound like a slur," Tattnall said.

He began to realize that despite his best efforts his anger was starting to rise.

"It's a means to an end, Admiral. I have no love for the other eleven worlds, my only love was for Tauron and if working with you means I can get some revenge against the Cylons then I'll do what must be done."

"Just remember that you're in a real military now and not some group that gets to play soldier because they're having a decades-long temper tantrum."

"Do you know how many deaths are on your hands because of your three year war against my people? I can only hope that you face a judgment when you die and go to the afterlife."

Tattnall did not seem to be bothered by her words. He simply added, "If there is such a thing as an afterlife then I can take solace in knowing that you'll be right there beside me facing judgment. Let me give you a little history lesson. In fact, I brought this up when I was interviewing one of your people that we had captured. The Colonial Supreme Court ruled in Tauron vs. the United Colonies of Kobol that Tauron didn't have the right to secede from the Twelve Colonies!"

Melati looked unconvinced by this announcement and shot back with, "Well Commander, I am a student of history and let me tell you more about this little dispute over my colony. Before Tauron signed the Articles of Colonization it was assured that after the Cylon War was over it would again receive its independence. However, the federal government continued to use the threat of the Cylons to keep Tauron under the Articles! I also want to remind you that when the Supreme Court made that decision there was no judge from Tauron!"

The Supreme Court of the Twelve Colonies was made-up of nine judges, one from the following colonies: Caprica, Canceron, Picon, Leonis, Libran, Aquaria, Virgon, and Scorpia. However, Gemenon, Sagittaron, Tauron, and Aerilon had to share the last judge's seat.

"Considering the Cylons did attack after all it looks like you and your people lost that little argument didn't you? Did it ever occur to you that maybe we'd have in better shape to fight the Cylons if we hadn't been busy hunting down you and your band of separatists?" Tattnall shot back at her.

"If you think about it, if you weren't busy chasing after me then you would probably be dead," answered Melati.

"Hmm?" asked Tattnall. Mentally he had to ask what this 'reformed' pirate was talking about.

"Because you would have been destroyed over one of the colonies when the Cylon attack occurred. However, because you were hunting after the Erebea you weren't where you were supposed to be!" answered Melati as her hand went to the inside of her jacket pocket to pull out a ceremonial Tauron knife that she kept, but she stopped herself and thought better of such a move.

"I suppose we won't get far if we keep exchanging words like this."

"You're right, it won't do us much good if we go down this path," Tattnall said as he got his emotions back in check.

"You two were going at it as much as Commander Charka and I did back on the _Ark Royal_," Ortiz said as she reflected on the events that had transpired that caused her to take action to relieve Charka of command of the _Ark_.

"Let's not talk about that too much," Ware said as he hoped to send the conversation into another direction.

"This is the largest collection of ships I've seen grouped together at one time; Admiral Tolan has put an armada together."

"It makes you wonder," Ortiz began, "Is the reason we survived in part because this fleet has kept the Cylons busy?"

"It's a distinct possibility," Cyprian said before adding, "We were fairly safe as long as the toasters didn't get too curious about the Little Big Horn Nebula but I'm sure that if they had put all of their resources into it then they would have probably found us."

"I feel safer knowing that we've found this group of survivors," Tattnall admitted before continuing with, "When things have settled down here I want to tell Governor Rush about Amasen."

"I wonder how he'll take the news," Melati wondered.

Amasen was a space station constructed in secret by then-Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker. It was to be used as a base of operations should the Cylons attack after the Cimtar Peace Accords had been signed. It was Cyprian and the Battlestar _Stryker_ that had come across the base the day the Colonies fell in the Cylon attacks.

_**Solace**_**, Cabin CA-132:**

"Mrs. Bowman, we need to get back to the _Olympica_," Kronus said gently as both he and Sakura moved towards the door.

She nodded and walked over to the sofa where Emily Tolan sat quietly sobbing in the arms of her older sister, Andrea Graystone. Brooke sat down beside Emily and lightly put her arm on her friend's shoulder, "I have to go, but I promise I'll be back as soon as the Quorum is done meeting."

'Artimus what would you do if you were in this situation?' Brooke asked herself as she tried to keep her emotions in check. If there was one thing she knew her husband would do it would be to give those around him the very appearance of calm and professionalism.

Scott Tolan had been a friend who had held a special place in her heart, and the thought that he could be gone for good had yet to truly sink in. She knew he was probably more confident in his abilities as an officer than most and had no doubt that he would return from whatever battle he was in. Had he perhaps been too confident? She drove the idea from her mind; she had to remind herself that both Scott and her husband were simply missing and unaccounted for. She could not start equating that with death, even a small glimmer of hope was better to hold onto than having no hope at all.

No, there was still a chance that he was still out there somewhere. The _Colossus_ could simply be somewhere out there with the crew unable to get the ship's FTL drives running again. She fought and finally managed to get her inner turmoil under control. There was a Quorum meeting that she was required to be at and she could not afford to make snap judgments without knowing all the facts.

She looked at Andrea and the two women made eye contact. Over the years she had gotten to know her well enough to where the two could be considered somewhat friends. It seemed as though Andrea was able to read the thoughts that were going through her mind.

"We'll be here with Em, they need you over there on the _Olympica_," Andrea said with a smile that she hoped would reassure Brooke.

"Thanks Andie," Brooke said as she turned to leave the room with Kronus and Sakura.

After the door had closed behind them they started walking down the corridor towards elevator that would take them to the shuttle bay where the Raptor was waiting to take them to the Olympica.

"I would like to know what exactly is going on?" she asked the two flag officers.

"So far we only know that the Colossus did not return from Ostarsis," Kronus said before adding, "We've sent the _Victorious_ out to the Ragan System to see if the ship made the jump to the emergency coordinates."

"Admiral Sakura, what happened out there?" she asked.

Sakura was quiet momentarily before she said, "We were getting our asses handed to us by the Cylons. We had the initial advantage and we used it as best we could, but once the prisoners started coming up from the surface they brought in their baseships and it turned into a brawl."

"How bad of a brawl was it?" Brooke asked though she had an idea.

"It's the kind of boxing match where the boxer comes out with two black eyes, a cut lip, and a nose that's broken and bloody. The fight was so bad that Admiral Tolan sent a distress call out in the clear where everyone could hear it, that was how desperate the fight had become."

"I want to know what you think; did he get away from the Cylons?"

"In my opinion, he could have made it away. Before we jumped away there was a mention of the _Colossus_ having trouble with their FTL drive, I prefer to think that the crew got it working in time to get away. The Cylons were throwing everything they had at us; I just hope that he was able to get away to safety."

(Author's Note: Certain characters, such as Arthur Wallace, can be found in Allen Knott's 'Battlestar Leonidas' series.)


	2. Chapter 2: For Whom the Bell Tolls

**Chapter Two: For Whom the Bell Tolls**

**One Hour, Twelve Minutes Later:**

_**Olympica**_**, Jarrell Conference Room:**

The representatives comprising the Quorum of Twelve had taken their seats at the long circular table in the cavernous Jarrell Conference Room, awaiting the arrival of Governor David Rush. The large mahogany-paneled room was the centerpiece of the _Olympica_'s corporate suite area. It had been named after Albert Jarrell, the owner of the Colonial Line and the man who pushed his ship designers to create the _Olympica_ class. Aurelia Gilliam, Kurt Eckhart, Alfred Newton, Marian Sanders, Peter Halle, Henry White, Albert Kinlayk, Joseph Percival, Sarah Burdett, Fejga Spring, John Jekyll, and Brooke Bowman were going over the various notes that had been delivered by members of their respective staffs.

The double doors that served as the entrance to the room opened and in walked David Rush along with a Marine guard and a small group of Colonial Fleet officers. The officers took seats near the lectern at the head of the table while the Marines stood behind Rush. There had been an increase in the number of threats against him; now wherever he went the Marines were with him.

"I'm glad you could all make it under such short notice," Rush began as he gazed over the Quorum to gauge how interested the members were.

"As you have heard by now, the Colonial Fleet's task force has returned from Ostarsis and with them are most of the prisoners that were held on the planet."

Rush noted that this particular piece of news had grabbed the attention of the Quorum.

"My head of military intelligence, Colonel Henry Barton, has compiled a report from the intelligence officers onboard the military vessels and the after-action reports from the Commanding Officers involved in the battle. I will now turn the meeting over to him."

Henry Barton was a native of Aquaria by all appearances. His father, Thomas Barton, served on Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker's staff during the Cylon War and to most people looked just like his father. Henry was of medium build with brown hair that was normally cut close to the scalp. In his twenty-four year career with the Colonial Fleet, he had worked his way up through the ranks and was regarded as a valuable Tactical Officer by his various CO's.

Barton pressed a button on the lectern and a screen descended from the ceiling and came on to reveal a list of ship names, "The ships listed here were lost either during the battle or because of damage received. The more severe losses are those of the Battlestars _Ares, Indra_, and _Athena. Ares_ and _Indra_ were lost during the battle while _Athena_ has sustained such severe damage that it appears as though the ship is a total loss and will have to be scrapped. There is also another battlestar that we believe could be another casualty and that is the Battlestar _Colossus_."

Brooke Bowman was the first of the Quorum to say something when she said, "If you don't mind my asking, is there any proof that the _Colossus_ was destroyed?"

"When the _Colossus_ did not make it back from Ostarsis we sent the Battlestar _Victorious_ to the Ragan System to search for it,"Barton said as he pressed a button to bring up a photo of two pieces of debris floating side by side in space, "The images were taken from a Raptor flown by Captain Frederick Lokrum of the _Victorious_. The larger piece of debris is consistent with a firing director that was known to have been fitted to the _Titan_ class battlestars of which the _Colossus_ was part."

"What about the other piece of wreckage?" John Jekyll asked.

"That was discovered to be a Viper from the Battlestar_ Hermes_," Barton explained.

Before Brooke could stop herself she asked, "Was there other wreckage found from the _Hermes_?"

Barton looked unsure as to whether to answer or not before he said, "As the _Victorious_ scoured the system for more signs of the _Colossus_ there did appear to be wreckage of Vipers from _both _the_ Hermes and _the ship that may have been blown away during combat."

"What about the _Colossus_?" Aurelia Gilliam asked.

"By the time the _Victorious_ had finished its search there were more signs of wreckage that could have conceivably belonged to the _Colossus_," Barton said.

"It seems rather clear to me that the _Colossus_ should be declared lost in battle and its crew listed as having died in the line of duty," Gilliam announced as she tried to keep her lips from forming a smile.

"That is a bit premature," Brooke countered.

"There is a chance that wreckage could have come from the _Titan_ or that the _Colossus_ managed to escape the Ragan System despite being damaged," Sanders added.

"Admiral Tolan knew the risks going in that there was a strong chance that he would not make it back to us and this is the proof that both he and his crew made the ultimate sacrifice. Personally I think it would be foolish to hold out hope that either he or the _Colossus_ survived the battle with the Cylons," Halle said with the comment drawing an approving nod from Gilliam.

"We cannot just go and declare him dead when there is no conclusive proof that the _Colossus_ has been destroyed," Brooke protested.

"I understand your personal feelings for Admiral Tolan are strong; after all he and your husband were friends, but I believe that you are letting those feelings cloud your better judgment. It appears that you are letting your emotions get the better of you when you should instead be dealing with these little things known as facts," Gilliam said knowing that her words were undoubtedly going to touch a nerve.

"Perhaps we can have a compromise," Kurt Eckhart said before the argument between the two women could escalate, "I believe that we should not rush into declaring the _Colossus_ and its crew lost. For now we should list those onboard the _Colossus_ as Missing in Action, and after a period of say…six months we can declare them dead if they have not made contact with us."

"I second Mister Eckhart's idea," Sarah Burdett announced.

"The motion carries," Rush announced before continuing, "We shall adjourn for an hour and a half before continuing with this meeting."

Brooke sat back down and let out a deep breath. It felt as though Aurelia Gilliam had baited her and she had fallen for it. There was a hand on her shoulder; she looked to see Fleet Admiral John Kronus looking at her with the kind eyes of a grandfather.

"Admiral Kronus, you startled me."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bowman; could you please come with me?"

The two entered the corridor and began walking aft away from the room.

"I don't know if you remember, but I defended your husband four years ago when he was accused of murder," Kronus said.

Four years ago, then-Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman had been accused of a murder stemming from a Raptor accident early in his career. Kronus had come out of retirement to defend Bowman against the accusations and had secured his acquittal on the charges.

"I remember that. Artimus was amazed that the former head of the Colonial Fleet Judge Advocate General would defend him."

Kronus smiled, "Artimus had a friend who called on me to help with his case."

"Must have been a powerful friend to get you out of retirement to take on his case," she said as she remembered the events from that time four years ago.

"It was his grandfather who went to Admiral Stryker about finding help for me," Kronus said.

"Gods I should known he would come to his grandson's aid," she said as she thought about Artimus' grandfather. Archibald Bowman had been a Combat Search and Rescue pilot during the Cylon War. She remembered him telling her and Artimus some of his stories from that time and one of those stories involved a mission on Canceron where he accompanied Stryker and served as the admiral's Raptor pilot.

"Indeed, and that was when Admiral Stryker asked me to help as a favor to him. As you can imagine I was in no position to refuse."

"I imagine he was a hard man to say 'No' to. Not that I want to change the topic so quickly but I take it you wanted to see me about something current?" she asked. It was nice to reminisce about her husband and his family but at the same time it was still a sore wound that had yet to completely heal.

"For starters, you held your own against Aurelia Gilliam in there and that's commendable. The other thing is that I wanted to give you this to hand to Mrs. Tolan," Kronus said as he produced a small video disc from one of the pockets of his uniform jacket.

"What is it?" Brooke asked as she took the disc from Kronus.

"It's Scott's farewell message that he recorded before the _Colossus_ left for Ostarsis. I know that you are a friend of the family and it's probably best that you be the one to hand it to her."

Before Brooke could respond one of the aides from her staff came running up to where she and Kronus were standing, "Delegate Bowman, I was hoping I'd find you."

"What can I do for you…" she asked as she searched to remember his name.

"I'm Adan Xeger; don't worry if you're still having trouble remembering who we are. This is sort of a short notice appointment for you," he offered diplomatically before adding, "Governor Rush is recessing the meeting for six hours. If you have any business away from _Olympica_ to tend to, that should give you the time to do so, or you can get some rest in your new quarters here on the _Olympica_."

"That's right, I forgot I have a suite here on the _Olympica_ now," Brooke said before adding, "I'm going to head over to the _Solace_ to check on the Tolan family. If anything comes up that requires my attention I'll be in cabin CA-132."

Xeger wrote the cabin number down and promptly left to confer with the rest of the staff from the Caprican delegation.

"You forgot you have one of the luxury suites on this ship?" Kronus asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

There were a number of luxury suites on the_ Olympica_ and twelve of them had been appropriated to serve as quarters and office space for the members of the Quorum.

"I'm still getting used to the whole idea of being a member of the Quorum. If only Artimus could see me now…" she said as her thoughts began to go back to her missing husband.

"I think he'd be proud of you for what you're doing and tell you that there was no way that he could do it. From the short time I had known him it became clear that Commander Bowman had no use for the political game."

"Just between us I have to wonder if he's still out there," she said as she took a nearby seat, "That wreckage from the _Hermes_ may not have been as important to the rest of the Quorum but it meant the world to me."

Kronus sat down on the seat beside her, "It gives you that glimmer of hope that your husband is alive."

"Yeah and it's caused a flood of memories to come to my mind after eight months of trying not to think about them."

"Anything in particular?" Kronus asked.

"The day we got married. We honeymooned on Caprica. Artimus and I drove up to Clermont to stay at a hotel and from there we went to Mount Dora and enjoyed a week on the coast. I remember all the hope I felt that this was going to be the beginning of something great. I had a man I loved deeply, a steady career, and the promise of perhaps starting a family some day. The Cylons ripped that away from me and no matter how hard I try I feel so much bitterness now."

"I can relate there was so much suffering during the First Cylon War. Leonis took its share of punishment from the toasters, and I lost family members. My father and older brother were killed in the fighting on the first day. I know it might sound cliché but in times like these, you find the strength to pick yourself up and keep going. What you are going through is something every person in this fleet can relate to, and you need to be strong for the Tolan family. Emily and the kids are going to need you now more than ever."

Brooke took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "You're right; thank you for the talk, Admiral Kronus, and for everything else you've done. I need to go catch a shuttle to the _Solace_."

"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Bowman," Kronus said as he stood up and offered a hand to help her out of her seat.

**Twenty-Seven Minutes Later:**

_**Olympica**_**, Colonial Fleet Command:**

What had once been the gift shop for Second Class on the _Olympica_ had been converted into a command center for the Colonial Fleet. What had once served as a storage area was now a meeting room where the ranking officer could video conference with other officers in the fleet. On a wall that had once been the location for shelves to store boxes of souvenirs was now home to several video screens. Three flag officers appeared on individual screens. Rear Admirals James Brannigan and Antonio Ramos appeared on their individual video screens and Admiral James Jonasson was on another one.

"Admiral Jonasson, I've been going over the reports from the battle. It looks like we took a beating out there," Kronus said.

Jonasson nodded, "I don't think any of our ships escaped from Ostarsis without some sort of damage. I won't lie to you; some of the ships look to be rough shape."

"I agree," Kronus said as he went over some of the highlights from the reports so far.

"The _Athena_'s back broke from the jump away from Ostarsis and it appears she is unsalvageable."

"Any ideas on what should be done with her?" Brannigan asked.

"I'm going to recommend that she be scrapped along with the _Sphinx_. Both ships are simply too damaged to be repaired. With the material salvaged from them, we can repair the other ships as well as disperse their crews and pilots to replace losses from the other battlestars.

"My concerns involve the integration of our new-found friends into the battle groups," Ramos added.

"We have Rear Admiral Lewis Ware and his cruiser group; my plan is to fold them into your gunnery task force. Nicholas Tattnall was technically still a Commander when the Cylons attacked but was due to be promoted to Rear Admiral. He more or less assumed flag rank when the attacks occurred. Considering we lost Rear Admiral Haddock during the battle, I'm going to make his rank permanent."

"If the _Athena_ is going to be scrapped then where does that leave me?" Brannigan asked.

"I want you here on the _Olympica_. I decided that a flag officer will be needed to run Fleet Command and since your ship is a total loss you more or less get to take over this department."

"Any word yet on Admiral Cantu?" Ramos asked.

Rear Admiral Alera Cantu had been injured onboard the Marine Battlestar _Xanthus_ during the battle, she and Ramos had known each other earlier in their respective careers.

"She's been moved to the _Solace_ and her condition is still listed as critical," Kronus said as he scanned the report from the doctor who had tended to her on the hospital ship.

"What about Rear Admiral Morton, any word on him?" Kronus asked.

Ramos said, "He's still in sickbay on the _Nemesis_, he's not as badly injured as Admiral Cantu but he's going to be out of action for some time.

"We should be able to get by without the two of them until they're ready for duty," Kronus said.

"What is going to be the order of importance for repairs?" Ramos asked.

"With three mobile dry docks we can spread the workload enough to get the repairs done quickly. _Vestal_ is going to be tasked with repairing the battlestars, warstars, and battle cruisers. _Neosho_ is going to be used initially for the modernization and overhaul of the battlestar _Achilles. Priam_ will repair the cruisers and smaller escort vessels damaged in the battle once the scrapping of the _Athena_ and _Sphinx_ is completed," Kronus said.

"Has there been a decision made on Admiral Tolan and the _Colossus_?" Brannigan asked.

This time Sakura spoke. Keeping her voice as professional as she could she said, "Admiral Tolan and the _Colossus_ are both listed as MIA for the time being. There has been a deadline established and if nothing changes then that status will be changed to KIA."

**One Hour, Thirteen Minutes Later:**

_**Solace**_**, Cabin CA-132:**

The kids were away for the time being. Andrea, Daphne Sari, and Nurse Brenda Maxwell had taken the triplets to one of the _Solace_'s dining halls. Emily was alone in the bedroom of the cabin with her thoughts, and those thoughts were firmly on the video disc she twirled around with her fingers. Brooke had delivered it to her when the Quorum's meeting had ended. She knew what was on the video; it was a video message from Scott that was to be given to her if for some reason he had died in battle. With the piece of wreckage from the _Colossus_ discovered, it seemed that there was a chance that her husband was, in fact, dead.

"Brooke," she called out in a voice that had lost some of the emotionless tone that had been induced by the shock of the news about Scott.

The door opened and Brooke Bowman walked into the room and took a seat on the bed beside Emily.

Brooke put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder, "Did you watch it yet?"

Emily shook her head.

"I've just been sitting here holding this disc for I don't know how long. I want to watch it, but at the same time, I'm afraid of what will come of it. I'm afraid that the finality of it is going to hit me harder than I realize."

"If you want to hold off for now then none of us would hold it against you," Brooke said.

Emily was quiet before she finally said, "Could you put in and play it; and I'd rather you were here when I watched it."

Brooke took the disc from her hand.

"Are you sure, Em?"

Emily nodded.

"I'm sure, Brooke. I would be grateful for the company. Being here alone with my thoughts hasn't been too helpful."

Brooke walked over to the television set and placed the disc into the disc player. The bright blue screen came to life. An image of Scott Tolan came onto the screen. He was sitting in what the she had assumed was his quarters on the _Colossus_.

"Well, babe," he began with that trademark smile that both women had seen many of times before. His face finally took on a more somber appearance.

"If you're seeing this, then that means that I didn't make it back from Ostarsis. Gods, this is hard to put into words. I'm sure right now you're not sure what to think or feel. If you end up being angry with me for this rescue mission, I won't blame you. Please understand that I had to do it to save as many of our people as I could. There I go again trying to justify why I did this. Let me just tell you this. I love you Emily, from the moment I first met you on Caprica Beach until my dying breath that feeling only grew. The love we shared over the last ten years was nothing short of amazing and having you and our three kids was a greater blessing than I could have ever imagined. When they get old enough to understand, tell them that I lived for them and that I ultimately died for them. Em, I know you have to be strong for our kids and that you will do your best to carry on. With that said, promise me that when the time is right, that you will move on and find your own happiness. I know how you are all too well, and the last thing I want to be is anchor tying you down and keeping you from finding love again. I love you, and know that we will be together again one day in the afterlife."

There was a silence in the room as the video ended and the screen went back to being a solid wall of blue.

"I have no idea if I can do that," Emily said as she wiped away the tears that streamed down her face.

"One day you will be able to, but know that Scott will always be a part of you. I understand what he was saying about not wanting to be an anchor for you, even as he was facing the prospect of dying he still thought of your happiness," Brooke said as she tried to get her emotions under control.

In a way, she envied the fact that Emily was able to hear a farewell message from her husband. Almost as soon as the thought came to her mind, she felt guilty for even letting it enter her mind. Because not only her closest friend had just lost her husband but also because she was starting to let the idea come to her that Artimus was actually dead. The Viper from the_ Hermes_ might have been proof enough for some but she should not have let it cause her to doubt that her husband was alive.

_**Solace**_**, B-Deck Nurses' Lounge:**

Brenda Maxwell entered the lounge and saw the single person in the room laying on one of the sofas in the room. She walked over and sat down next to the young woman, "You want to talk about it?"

Ensign Lacey Tolan sat up and pulled her knees to her chest.

"I can't believe this is really happening."

"I know you and Admiral Tolan were cousins, and from what I've been told you were close."

Lacey nodded, "In so many ways he was like an older brother to me. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"Andrea and Daphne have their hands full with the triplets. Also, I figured you'd want somebody to talk to who wasn't family."

"I know they mean well, but all I can think of is being alone with my thoughts."

"First let me introduce myself, I'm Brenda Maxwell and I'm one of the nurses here on the _Solace_. Something else you don't know, my father is General Maxwell."

"Your father was at Ostarsis, how did you not go crazy worrying about him?"

"I remember being a little girl when my father led his Marines into the Demeter Jungle on Scorpia back during the Green Army uprising. My mom told me that my father was going to do fight against some bad people but he'd be back in no time. I had asked her if he was going to get hurt and she told me that being strong for him and not worry about him getting hurt would help him to get home safely."

"So when he went to Ostarsis you did what your mother told you back then?"

She nodded, "Yeah, and one of the first things he did was let me know that he was safe."

"Scott was my last living blood relative and I don't know if I can even begin to tell you how much this hurts. It's scary to think that he won't be here for the rest of this way. I remember how scared I was when the Cylons attacked. I was on Picon at the time assisting a group of freshmen cadets. I did what I could to be the kind of leader I felt I needed to be. Truth was though I was terrified…of the Cylons, the war, and everything that went along with it."

"I think people see some of Admiral Tolan's attributes in you," Maxwell admitted.

"That's the other thing that's been eating at me since the day the Cylons attacked. Everyone is looking at me as if I know what I'm doing because I'm Scott Tolan's cousin. I've had to deal with that from the moment I first started my Viper training. I've done everything I can to do my part to help win this war…and I don't know if it's enough."

Maxwell could have let her wallow in her pity but that was something she had learned over the years never to do and she did not want see Lacey Tolan lose herself in this misery that she was in, "There's so no way to sugarcoat this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Lacey, you're smart, you're lucky and if you are anything like Admiral Tolan, I'm sure you're not afraid to bend the rules if needed. More important, you need to pull yourself together and be strong for your family and for your shipmates back on the _Athena_. So suck it up, princess. You're in the military now, and you're going to be just fine."

"Believe it or not Scott did mention you once, he said you could be quite bossy."

Maxwell let out a slight laugh, "It's the price I pay for being a nurse that patients love to hate."

"Thank you for coming by, I'll just get some rest before I head back to Emily's cabin."

"Glad to hear it, I have some rounds to make but I'll be back by to check on you."

_**Olympica**_**, First Class Dining Room: **

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet me on such short notice," Danya Wright said as she took a seat at the table with Aurelia Gilliam.

"I hope your friends didn't mind me taking you away from them," Gilliam said after taking a sip of wine from her glass.

"I was editing my interview with Leon Delroy, Alex Remneas, and Vito Tamulis about their morale boosting efforts here on the _Olympica_ when you called."

"Ah yes, how are their efforts going? I assume it helps them feel useful since there's no more professional pyramid to be played."

Wright shrugged and said, "It gives them a purpose, I suppose. Now can you tell me why you wanted to meet with me and stop wasting my time with small talk?"

Gilliam took another sip of wine and put her glass down.

"You like to get to the point, Mrs. Wright. I can respect that. I have a story for you that have yet to break and I want you to be the one who gets the head start."

Wright eyed her suspiciously, "What might this news involve?"

"You have heard by now that the task force has returned from its mission, am I right?" Gilliam asked.

"People saw the ships leave and return so it's not like that is breaking news."

"One of the ships did not return and is currently presumed lost with all hands."

"That is newsworthy; can you tell me what ship this is?"

"It was the battlestar _Colossus_; it was Admiral Tolan's flagship."

"You're telling me that the _Colossus_ was lost and Admiral Tolan along with it?"

Gilliam nodded, "The Quorum has been debating it but ultimately it was decided to list the ship and crew as having been lost in the battle."

Wright did not seem quite convinced.

"You have to have an angle with this."

"I know the kind of person Governor Rush is. Now we need our leaders to be transparent with the public so that they know exactly what kind of situation we are in. He is going to keep it quiet and make sure that the people don't know that they lost the flag officer who led the military."

"So I will be doing a service to the public by going ahead and revealing this information?"

Gilliam smiled, "Yes that is exactly what you'll be doing. I'm more than willing to be a confidential source."

"A story like this requires more than just the word of a member of the Quorum," Wright pressed in hopes of getting something more concrete that she could use.

"Very well then, I have something you can use but if you try to pin this to me or my staff I will deny any knowledge of it. I had a member of my staff record the proceedings, I'm afraid some parts of it did not record well but there is enough on there to back up my claims that Admiral Tolan is dead and the _Colossus_ has been destroyed."

The recording was in fact an edited version; the parts that would have given the appearance that the battlestar was simply missing had been deleted.

Gilliam reached in a pocket, retrieved a small audio disk, and deftly moved it under the table where she placed it in Wright's hand.

"Fair enough, Ms. Gilliam. If there is a story to be made out of this then I will do everything I can to make sure that your identity is kept secret.

"You're doing the right thing, Mrs. Wright. It's important that the people of this fleet know what is really going on before Rush can make the truth go away."

Wright did not say a word as she got up and left the table.

Gilliam watched her go; she pulled out a cigarette for what she felt was a well-deserved victory smoke. Governor Rush and others wanted to give Admiral Tolan a reprieve from being declared Killed In Action but she was going to have none of that. The sooner he was thought of as deceased by the people in the fleet, the better she would feel.

'Tolan, you bastard, I won after all. If there is an afterlife I hope that not only you're fuming at me but you're also mad about the fact that you can't do anything to me,' she thought as she lit her cigarette and took a long satisfying drag.

Aurelia Gilliam was unaware that there was a person in the room with eyes firmly locked on her. The person took in the sight of the Sagitarron representative on the Quorum and carefully thought about what was to come. She had proven to be a pain in the side of the military and her political foes but she could not possibly know that plans were in place that would put events into motion that would ultimately lead to her downfall.

_**Olympica**_**, Kronus Family Quarters:**

Kronus entered the suite where he and his family had been staying. His son and grandson were sitting on a nearby couch watching the television. Arthur Kronus was sound asleep with his head resting on his father's lap. Cecil Kronus' eyes fluttered open at the sound of the door open and he looked over and saw his father enter the room.

"I see you're back in uniform," he said once his eyes had adjusted.

"Long story, what were the two of you watching?" Kronus asked as he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"We were watching _Rhodri's Escape_ but when he fell asleep I changed it to the news before I started dozing off. Now before you can change the subject, why are you in uniform?"

Kronus thought about how to break the news to his son but decided to simply come out and tell the truth, "The _Colossus_ didn't return from Ostarsis. Both the ship's crew and Admiral Tolan are officially listed as MIA for the time being. I volunteered to return to active duty to take command of the fleet."

"But you had a heart attack and were ordered to retire," Cecil said after the shock wore off.

"I know that at my age and health it may not be the best choice but it was still my decision. I've worked out the details with Governor Rush and the medical staff here on the _Olympica _and whatever ship I use as my flagship will keep a close eye on my heart to make sure I'm fine. I'm going to take every precaution I can."

"That may not be enough. You were there before when the Colonial Fleet needed you, can't they just let you have a normal life?"

"This is the best chance we have for us to have any type of life. Looking at who has come back from Ostarsis, it's not an encouraging group. Let me tell you what I think of the Admiralty; none of them can handle the task of being the military leader of a fleet. I've been there and know what it takes, and while there are some flag officers that could eventually take overall command it will take time and that is a commodity we simply don't have. I know this isn't fair to you that I'm doing this, but at a time of war we all have to make our sacrifices. I've dedicated my life to the Colonial Fleet, and I can't turn away from it when it needs me most."

"You're forgetting the time you were a civilian after Adar sacked you, you have some experience as a civilian."

Kronus' mind went back to the early days of his retirement.

"That was scary for me, after all those years of being an officer in the military and it came to such an abrupt end. I actually felt as though I no longer had a purpose in life."

"Is that how you feel now that you're back on active duty, are you useful once more?"

"This time I was starting to feel content with being retired. It appears fate had other plans for me though, all I can do is follows this road and see where it leads."

Cecil let out a short sigh, "Yeah, I guess that's really all we can do."

Kronus looked at his watch, "I need to go meet with a group of officers. If you want to, get a nap and we'll talk more whenever I get back."

Cecil nodded, "Let me put the little man here to bed and I'll get some sleep. I'll see you when you get back."

**Jarrell Conference Room: **

Seven minutes later Kronus entered the conference room and the four officers from the _Stryker, Libran, Ark Royal_, and _Gemenon_ stood up and came to attention.

"At ease," Kronus said as he walked over to where they stood, "There's a few more hours to go before the meeting with the Quorum starts up again.

"Permission to put a muzzle on Gilliam," Tattnall requested.

"Denied, but grudgingly," Kronus admitted, which served to draw a round of laughter from the group.

"If you don't mind me saying, it's good to see you back in a Colonial Fleet uniform," Rear Admiral Ware said.

"Thank you, it's good to be able to command once more," Kronus said.

"I was wondering if you had heard anything about my father or my daughter," Ware asked.

"I can speak about your father. We came across the _Basilisk_ not long after the attacks, and your father had taken command of the ship. He had been placed in overall command but sadly he was killed when the _Basilisk_ was lost in battle," Kronus said with a look of sadness on his face.

"Thank you sir, my father always spoke highly of you and I know that if he were to meet his end he'd rather go out fighting against the Cylons."

"As for your daughter," Cyprian said, "She is alive and well. Since the war began she's more than held her own against the Raiders and has become a squadron leader on the_ Stryker_."

"Thank you Commander Cyprian, I'm glad that she's still alive. When things get settled I'd like to visit the Stryker and see her," said a very relieved Ware.

"Once we're at Amasen I'll make sure it happens," Cyprian said.

"Not to change the subject but I think we'll be able to fit these new civilians comfortably at the base," Melati said.

"The base is named Amasen?" Kronus asked.

"Admiral Stryker named the base after the mythical lost continent of Aquaria, I think he felt the name appropriate," Melati said.

"Knowing Jonas, that doesn't surprise me," Kronus muttered.

"If I may offer," Melati said and when Kronus nodded his approval, she continued with, "I believe Commander Cyprian has the right idea. Here in this system we are exposed and vulnerable to an attack from the Cylons. What we should do is jump the fleet to our base of operations to continue this discussion. We should be able to more effectively regroup at Amasen."

"It may pain me to say it but Colonel Melati is right," Tattnall said as though the words were painful for him to say.

"I admit I have no love for the either the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance but the fact is that we have to leave our old grudges in the past."

"Speaking of old grudges, will Magnus Ah-Mun be at the meeting whenever we reconvene?" Melati asked.

Kronus nodded, "I've already sent word to the_ Revenge_ and I have been assured that he will be here as soon as possible."

"I do not see what good could come of having the Eastern Alliance take part in this meeting. They were a legitimate group of pirates, even if they said they were in the 'private security' business," Melati said.

While it would be necessary to put their old differences aside, the Eastern Alliance had been a rival to the Erebea and the rivalry was proving to be harder to put to rest than she had imagined.

"For what it's worth, Magnus Ah-Mun was a Viper pilot back during the Cylon War before his time with the Eastern Alliance. He at least gives his people some credibility as a military force. He's helping to defend this fleet as much as we are, and if we want his continued help we'll have to include him in matters such as these," Kronus said and was glad to see that Melati seemed willing to drop the matter.

"I think it'd be best if we get to Amasen as soon as possible," Tattnall said.

"Agreed. Commander Cyprian, how did you even find this base of operations?" Kronus asked Cyprian.

"There was a Ministry of Intelligence officer onboard the _Stryker_ for the decommissioning ceremony and he somehow knew that this base was located near the Little Big Horn Nebula."

"Would this officer's last name be Wallace?" Kronus asked even though he was sure of it.

"That would be correct. Major Arthur Wallace, who is an insufferable jackass, if you don't mind my honesty," Cyprian said.

"I know he was like a son to Admiral Stryker, but how does that explain him knowing about this base?"

"From what we've gathered is that Stryker had it built over time after the Cylon War ended and told very few people about it. Somehow Arthur…I mean Major Wallace knew about it and directed Commander Cyprian there in the aftermath of the attacks," Melati said.

"If we hadn't have come across the _Stryker_ we wouldn't have known about the base and wouldn't have survived," Ortiz added.

Kronus was concerned about this secret base that he felt he should have known about but was not about to let these officers know about it.

"I'll discuss the matter with Governor Rush and see what he says. I doubt it will present a problem."

"I know the civilians we have on our ships will be glad to have a place to take shelter," Ware said.

"You didn't have any civilian ships with your cruiser group when you arrived at Ostarsis, are they in another system?" Tattnall asked.

Ware shook his head, "We came across a small group of civilian ships. Their FTL drives were shot from the constant jumping they had done. We offloaded the people and anything useful we could salvage onto the _Queenstown _and they've been there since."

"Admiral Ware, how have you and your ships been able to avoid the Cylons?" Kronus asked.

"We've been able to keep our FTL drives well-maintained and we have never stayed in the same place for long. I had no idea how long we would have lasted, but when we heard Admiral Tolan's distress call it seemed jumping to his aid was the best road for us to take."

"Considering time isn't exactly on our side, I'm going to go meet with Governor Rush about getting the entire fleet jumped to Amasen before the Quorum meets again. Get word to your ships to prepare to jump as soon as the order is given. Until then feel free to walk around the _Olympica_ until it's time for the meeting to resume."

_**Olympica**_**, Nasmus Lounge:**

A man sat alone at a corner table, hoping that he looked inconspicuous enough that nobody would notice him or give him a second glance. It was a different situation than what he was normally used to. He had quickly gone from being the hunter to the hunted and he was certain he disliked the reversal of roles.

He looked up and saw the person he had been looking for walking towards him. He motioned for the man to take the seat opposite him and waited before he spoke.

"I'm surprised you were able to make it off of the _Jauron_," Henri Faustin said as he withdrew a cigarette and lighter from his one of his jacket pockets.

"It was close," Dante Solis admitted as he allowed himself to relax slightly.

"Do you know who it was behind this?" Faustin asked.

"I'm sure Governor Rush has something to do with this. I would wager he authorized the move against me, but I saw Mitchell Cain on the video footage. Having a Ministry of Intelligence operative coming after me was unsettling."

Faustin gave Solis an appraising look, "You seem quite calm for having Cain on your trail."

"You were both intelligence officers, so you probably know him better than anyone else who works for me. Just out of curiosity, how well do you know Mr. Cain?"

"He was held in high regard by the higher-ups in the Ministry, and his skills were said to be second to none. All I can really say is that he is a formidable opponent."

"It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies, considering who is out to get me…I think it's safe to say I'm an important man."

Faustin nodded, "Between myself and those who got off of the Jauron you will be protected."

"That's what I like about you, Mr. Faustin, your loyalty and dedication to your job. I will need your people's expertise to accomplish a mission for me."

"What can I do for you?"

"I need a bomb made for use against the Quorum of Twelve. I need to send a message to Governor Rush that I am not amused by the course of action he has taken."

Faustin did run the proposal around in his mind to come up with a plan to accomplish what Solis had requested.

"I'll get my people on this; it will not take long before we can start on making an explosive device."

Solis could not help but smile.

"That is excellent!"

"I have to ask," Faustin said before asking, "Just how were you able to get off of the _Jauron_ after Cain's team boarded?"

Solis' smile did not leave his face.

"I have a friend in _Olympica_ Security who alerted me in time. I know my ship better than Cain did and it gave me the advantage I was looking for."

"How were you able to get an inside source like that?"

"The thing is that with the Colonies destroyed there are commodities that are either limited or near impossible to find. The _Jauron_ was stocked with items that my friend desired and that allowed me to buy the necessary loyalty."

"Can your source help us with this bomb?"

Solis paused and considered it before replying, "I believe so, I want you to head to the Tourist Class Gift Shop and hang around the area. If my friend is able to help then you will be contacted, if not then put your improvisational skills to good use."

Faustin stood up and turned to leave, "Your wishes will be carried out, I give you my word."

'I expect nothing less,' Solis thought.

Governor Rush may not have realized it but he had made an enemy with his raid. Now it was Solis' turn to return the favor and make him pay for it.

Just as Aurelia Gilliam was being watched so was Dante Solis. Much like Gilliam, Solis had been useful so far in stirring discord among the people in both the military and civilian sectors. Some might have even referred to them by the term 'useful idiots'. The group planning to rid the fleet of Gilliam and Solis dated back to the Cylon War, and had even then they had managed to help the Cylons in their campaign against their fellow Colonials. Now the pieces were coming together for the group to come to power within the Fleet. They were simply known as Serpents' Servants or S.S. While other groups, such as 'Demand Peace', had sought to bring an end to the war in hopes of stopping the fighting it was the belief of the members of the S.S. to actively help the Cylons to win the war. With their assistance the Cylons would look on them favorably and spare their lives. They rejected the idea that the Cylons wanted to wipe out all of humanity, in fact humanity needed to attone for the injustice done to the Cylons in the years leading up to their revolt. The truth of the matter was, if what they were planning came to fruition then the landscape would be radically changed.


	3. Chapter 3: House Divided

**Chapter Three: House Divided**

_**Ventura**_**: **

**Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler's Office: **

"Mr. Fowler, there's an incoming message for you from the _Olympica_," Erica Abbott said as she opened the door to Michael Fowler's office. The blonde Caprican, a recent graduate from Caprica's University of Clermont, had taken over as his Chief of Staff since Chris Alonzo had been granted a leave of absence.

"Who is it from?" Fowler asked.

"It's from Governor Rush, it appears he needs your presence on the _Olympica_ as soon as possible," she said as she handed him the message.

Fowler took the paper and began to read over it. Since he had come to his new office, he had admittedly found there was little for him to do. If anything, it seemed he had been given the tasks that Governor Rush had been either unwilling or unable to do. The fact that his presence was being requested was definitely a surprise for him.

"Tell Captain Vance that I will need transport to the _Olympica_ as soon as he can arrange it," Fowler said to Abbott. Captain Theodore Vance had taken a sense of pride of being the captain of the ship the Lieutenant Governor was on, going so far as to unofficially dub the Ventura as '_Colonial Two'_. Fowler was not that big on ceremony but knowing the pride Vance took in it he let the man carry on.

"Will you require any of the staff to come with you to the _Olympica_?" Abbott asked.

Fowler thought about it for a moment before responding, "I want Halverson, Leopold, Kretchmer, Steiner, and you to come with me. Also, let Rowell know that he is in charge until I return."

It was a few minutes later when Abbott appeared back in the office, "I just got done talking with Captain Vance, it would appear that the fleet is about to jump to a new destination. However, Governor Rush has delayed the jump until we're able to get onto the _Olympica_."

"He's going all-out to make me feel important," Fowler joked as he finished gathering the items he planned to bring with him. The only thing left for him to do was to let his wife and kids know that he was being called away and that he would return to them the first chance he had.

'What the frak is going on over there?' he asked himself as he exited his office and headed down the corridor to the staircase that lead to the shuttle bay.

**Thirty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Amasen Station, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Arthur Wallace looked out onto the blackness of space and took a sip from his glass of water.

"No sign of them yet?" Commander Susan Minerva asked.

Wallace shook his head. "No sign of them on DRADIS yet according to Lieutenant Stotland and no communiqués according to Lieutenant Suman."

"If the reports we received are accurate we'll have a lot more friendly faces."

"That's what I like about you, Sue, the glass is always half full with you."

"At times like this I think a little optimism can make all the difference."

"Perhaps. So tell me, how long has it been since you last spoke with Admiral Tolan?"

Minerva was quiet as she tried to remember, "It was about four months before the Cylons attacked. The _Libran_ had stopped at Aquaria when I ran into him at Oceanus Fleet Air Station. I had asked him what he was doing on Aquaria, since the _Victorious_ was assigned with defending Caprica, and he told me that it was something he couldn't tell me about."

"He was taking his battle group and two other battlestars to take part in a weapons test on two decommissioned battlestars; it was something he couldn't tell anyone for obvious reasons."

"I'd ask how you know that but I think I already know the answer," Minerva said teasingly.

Wallace gave her a smile. "That's the thing about the Ministry of Intelligence, there's always a way of finding out information other people don't want to have discovered."

"I know I should be shocked but from everything I've learned over the last three years it makes perfect sense."

The two looked out the window and saw a multitude of brilliant flashes as a vast armada of military and civilian ships came into view.

"Looks like our guests have arrived," Minerva said.

_**Olympica**_**:**

**Governor David Rush's Office:**

"I got here as soon I could," Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler said upon entering Governor Rush's office; the suite of offices formed the nerve center for the executive leadership of the civilian population.

"I'm glad you could make it," Rush said as he shook hands with Fowler.

By all rights, Fowler should have been the man to assume leadership of the civilian government following the removal of Hector Alonzo from power, but the association had left the former Governor of Libris radioactive in the eyes of the population. When Rush had assumed leadership he had kept Fowler on as Lieutenant Governor.

"People here look to be in scurrying about in a hurry. I take it the rumors are true," Fowler asked.

"That depends on what rumors you have heard," Rush replied.

He knew that Fowler had not been as thoroughly briefed, as he should have been.

"I see an armada of ships out there that were not there the last time I looked out of my cabin window on the _Ventura_ and on the way here I didn't see the _Colossus_ anywhere among the ships."

"You may want to sit down then and let me fill you in on what you need to know," Rush said as he motioned to a nearby seat. When Fowler was seated, Rush sat down and said, "Admiral Tolan led a rescue mission to Ostarsis. The task force took a beating by the Cylons and we lost two battlestars, perhaps three, and the _Colossus_ is the ship we're not sure about."

"I take that to mean that it's missing," Fowler commented.

Rush nodded. "Admiral Kronus dispatched the _Victorious_ to the Ragan System to search for it; when the ship returned it didn't exactly bring good news."

Fowler held up a hand, "I thought Kronus had retired because of health problems."

"He made a convincing case for being brought back to active duty; it was a choice between him and Admiral Sakura. Truth is I don't think she is quite ready for overall military command."

"Not to mention that if Admiral Tolan is gone then Kronus will be able to inspire the people more than Sakura would be able to."

"Exactly," Rush exclaimed before adding, "With some extra time to watch and learn I think Sakura could be up the task. There's nobody better for her to learn from than Kronus."

"That reminds me of the situation on Libran; it was assumed that I would one day take over the leadership of the colony. Being the governor of Libris was supposed to be a stepping stone to that," Fowler said.

Libris was the largest of the districts that made up Libran and those in the Federalist Party told Fowler that when Governor-General Royce Oberon retired from political life that he would be the one the party chose to replace the former Marine general as Libran's governor-general.

"That's essentially the same type of situation, and I'm glad that you're here on the _Olympica _to help out. I've been dealing with the Quorum and the officers from the ships that we discovered at Ostarsis."

"I'm glad to help in any way I can. I still don't know how we came across all of these new warships," Fowler said as his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.

"When the Cylons threw the bulk of their force at the task force, Admiral Tolan sent a distress call out in the clear for any Colonial units to come to his aid at Ostarsis. They were part of a group that had discovered a secret base here in the Sertis-Beta System, and it seems they've spent nearly eight months hiding here at various times."

"I see," Fowler said before asking, "Who is in charge of the military and the civilians?"

"Militarily it is a Rear Admiral Nicholas Tattnall; he has been in command of the Battlestar _Libran_ for the last three years. Civilian-wise it appears a Major Arthur Wallace runs the station and seems to be in charge of both the station personnel and the civilians as well."

"Good to know the _Libran_ is still in one piece. I'd hate to think the ship named for my home colony was lost," Fowler said.

"I'm sure you're starting to realize you're going to be here for a while, if you'd like I can have a pilot bring your family over from the _Ventura_," Rush offered.

"I think that would be best, and you're right, it sounds like I'm going to be needed here until things start to settle down."

Rush picked up the phone on his desk and began pressing the buttons to dial the _Olympica's_ main shuttle bay. "I'll give you a couple of hours to get you and your family settled in. When that's done, come back here and we'll talk more."

Fowler was out of his seat and turning to leave the room, "I'll head to the shuttle bay and wait for them to arrive. Thank you, Governor. I'm glad I can be of use to you. Being Lieutenant Governor was starting to seem as pointless of a job as being Vice President."

_**Olympica**_**, Argonne Plaza: **

A section of the liner was reserved for a variety of restaurants and shops. The patrons walked on brick walkways that gave the plaza an old-fashioned feel. Above them was a generated blue sky to give the patrons the impression that they were on one of the colonies spending a day shopping or dining.

Captain Whitney Thompson, formerly of the Ministry of Intelligence, took in the sight and a part of her mind told her to appreciate what she was seeing. It was such a nice change from the prison on Ostarsis that she had called home for almost eight months. She knew she would go crazy if she dwelt on it for too long so she instead tried to focus on the present. The people walked by as if they had not a care in the world, that everything was fine and there was not a war going on outside of the _Olympica_'s hull.

Perhaps it would be best if they kept thinking that, if they had seen the things she had seen they would have a much different feel for the situation. If they had been through the pain she had been through as a prisoner of the Cylons perhaps they would see this artificially lit plaza as the false representation it was. How many times had the Cylons told her she was due to be executed? So many she had lost count.

The memory of the first time she thought she was going to die came to her mind. It had been her first month on Ostarsis when one of the Cylon models told her that it was time for her execution. That first time when she had been taken out to a field where she had been told her life would end. She had been tied to a pole blindfolded and a female voice had read the order of execution. She heard the metallic clank of the Centurions' footsteps as they lined into position and she silently began to pray as tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. She had heard the words 'Ready' and 'Aim' but the word 'Fire' never came. Instead, she had been released from her restraints and taken back to her cell. One of the humanoid Cylons, and older-looking man, had told her that perhaps she would be executed tomorrow or even as soon as an hour from now.

'Stop it!' she mentally screamed as she forced the memory away. She was free now and thanks to a Raptor from the _Helios,_ she was now on the _Olympica_.

She saw the person she had wanted to see browsing through a Tauron-themed store and her mind immediately thought, 'Figures she would browse through a Tauron shop.'

She had heard that Cinta Melati and the _Gemenon_ had taken part in the battle and that the leader of the Erebea was now on the _Olympica_ until further notice. As soon as Thompson heard it, she sprang into action and managed to get a ride to the _Olympica_. Now was her chance to get some answers from Melati and depending on what she heard she would fill her in on what her Major Arthur Wallace had in store for her from the moment he came into her life.

She would have had no idea the leader of the Erebea and her fiancé had been romantically involved if it had not been for one of the human Cylons. He had been referred to as a 'Two' and he had taken an interest in playing games with her mind. The day he told her about Cinta Melati and Arthur Wallace's relationship she had assumed it had been another mind game, but he was able to produce evidence she could not deny and it was another cruel blow to her world. The man she had pledged to marry and love all of her life had been carrying on a romantic relationship behind her back. She had felt foolish for not having noticed it and from that day on there was anger towards more than just the Cylons. They had killed her family when they attacked the Colonies but Arthur's betrayal killed a part of her as well.

Thompson crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk where the store was located. She glanced up at the sign and saw that it said 'Leto', which meant she had found the store she had seen Melati enter. The electric doors slid apart to allow her to enter and she was quickly intercepted by a sales associate who asked if there was anything she could help her with. Thompson politely shook her head and began to look around what was clearly a clothing store of some type. A part of her was surprised to see that there was still merchandise for sale; there were racks and shelves that looked decidedly bare. For an instant she had lost sight of Melati but she quickly saw her enter the area of the store where the changing rooms were located.

She quickly picked up some items of clothing and walked over to the changing rooms; the clerk at the desk let her through with barely a question asked. Whitney started looking for the room Melati was using.

Thompson saw only one of the rooms seemed to be occupied and that was all she needed to know as to where Melati was located. She took a hold of the doorknob and gently turned it until she heard the click that let her know the door was ready to open. Easing the door open she took a step inside, grabbed Melati's shoulder, and spun the woman around so that she faced her.

A look of surprise that quickly turned to anger came over Melati's face, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just thought I'd have a friendly little chat," Thompson said as she kept the pressure on Melati's shoulders so that she could not make any sudden moves.

"Where are my guards?" she asked the stranger. Normally she would have at least four bodyguards with her at all times, a precaution she had kept from her days as the leader of the Erebea.

"They're in the store, probably busy checking out the women in the lingerie section," Thompson said.

"That's the second time in about three years since my bodyguards have let someone get by. I think when this is over I'm going to have a strongly-worded conversation with them."

Thompson smirked, "Don't be so hard on them it's not their fault I'm trained at avoiding detection."

"Are you here to kill me then?" Melati asked with a voice that did not show a hint of fear.

"I'm not here to kill you, I want to have a word with you in private and this is probably as close to 'private' as we're going to get," Thompson said and then she relaxed her grip on Melati's shoulders.

Melati suddenly grabbed Thompson's right wrist and turned it so she could see the woman's forearm, "If you were going to get a tattoo you could have done better than P38210."

Thompson's left hand massaged where the Cylons had tattooed a prisoner number on her forearm, "Believe me it wasn't one I'd have wanted."

"So who are you with; Colonial Military Intelligence, Colonial Federal Police, Ministry of Intelligence…"

"I was with the MoI as was my fiancé," Thompson said.

"I see and would your fiancé be someone I've dealt with in the past?"

"Does the name Arthur Wallace sound familiar?"

"I'm intimately familiar with him even though I knew him as William Savedge. I thought that we had both a working relationship that ultimately became more intimate with time," Melati said as her mind went to the time before the Cylon attacks.

"There was so much more to the story," Thompson said as she motioned towards the door, "Let's have a seat over at that restaurant across the street and I'll tell you more about Arthur's mission."

A few minutes later the two women had taken a seat at Ersa's Café next to one of the windows that looked out onto the plaza. A quiet had settled between the two and to the casual observer it would seem as though there was an uneasy truce in place.

"So," Melati said as she broke the silence between the two, "What exactly was Arthur's end game regarding to me?"

Thompson took a sip of water from her glass then said, "His plan was to give you the _Gemenon_ and once you and the Erebea had boarded the ship it would have been remote detonated to kill you and your people in one single explosion."

Melati looked as though she had been punched in the stomach but she quickly recovered, "There are not enough curses in my language to describe something so cowardly."

"I was a part of that mission; I was stationed on one of the faststars that kept the _Libran _safe from attack."

"The_ Libran_. I see Admiral Tattnall may not have been the only serpent trying to strike me," Melati said aloud before turning her attention to Thompson, "If we were both on such intimate terms with Arthur, tell me something about him only the two of us would know."

Thompson walked over to where Melati sat and whispered something in her ear. She then went back to her seat and sat down to look at the face of a now visibly disturbed woman.

"That bastard," Melati finally said with the word 'bastard' carrying the venom as every single Tauron curse she could hurl at the man.

Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson overheard the exchange from the booth where he had been eagerly awaiting the food he had ordered. He had been looking out onto the plaza and reflected on how it reminded him of home on Aquaria. All the time he had spent on either the _Gemenon_ or Amasen had given him an appreciation for being on the luxury liner. Even if he was still on a ship in space, he could imagine instead that he was on a planet. He had not met Whitney Thompson but he had heard about her. From what he was hearing right now, it seemed the only course of action was to get back to Amasen. From there, he could let his brothers know that the officer in charge of the station could possibly have a situation on his hands with two women that were both angry and deadly.

As he was leaving, the waitress came to the table with his food. She saw that he was leaving and promptly told him he still needed to pay for his meal. Little Tank wanted to argue with her but knew it would probably be pointless. The sooner he got back to Amasen, the sooner he could warn Wallace about the situation he could have on his hands.

He took out the cubits in his pocket and put more than enough on the table to cover his purchase as well as leave a generous tip, thankfully the businesses on the _Olympica_ were still in the habit of accepting cubits, and began to make his way to the shuttle bay where his Raptor was located. He had spent part of the day ferrying people and supplies between Amasen and the _Olympica_ and he had hoped to get some downtime. Now thanks to his friend's womanizing ways he was going to have to leave the ship sooner than he had planned. It was likely he would be required to stop a possible disaster from taking place.

**Amasen, Operations Center:**

A short distance down the corridor that led to Amasen's CIC was a room known as the Operations Center. While the CIC was necessary for Amasen's defense in case of attack, the Operations Center served as the nerve center for keeping watch on what was going on inside the base.

At present, the Operations Center's conference room was in use by Major Arthur Wallace, the officer in charge of Amasen, and the group he had selected to help brief him on the current situation.

Commander Susan Minerva, Sergeant Majors Darrell Robinson, John Harbrecht, and Marine Lieutenant Octavia Socorro had joined with the group of tactical officers providing Wallace with his daily intelligence briefings. The head of this group was Captain Curtis Bond, formerly of the Ministry of Intelligence, and Wallace's second in command during the MoI's mini war against the Erebea.

"Has your team been able to put together a complete analysis of our new arrivals?" Wallace asked.

"We've gone over most of the data we received from Governor Rush's office," Bond said before turning his attention to one of the tactical officers, "Lieutenant Adrienne will give you the strength of our new arrivals."

Lieutenant Claudia Adrienne pressed a button and a holographic display in the middle of the table came to life, "Judging by what we have received it appears that this is a formidable fighting force."

"How so?" Wallace asked.

He knew Adrienne had been one of the officers from the Battlestar _Stryker_'s Tactical Division who had been transferred to Amasen to give the station a full complement of military officers. From what he had seen of the Gemonese officer there was a great deal of potential in her; he still had yet to decide whether he would like to sleep with her or not.

"You have to consider that the Colonial Fleet is a shell of what it once was. What we had here comprised a decent fighting group but what they have is greater than ours. You are looking at five battlestars of various types, three warstars, two battle cruisers, four heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, five frigates, four patrol frigates, twelve corvettes, and five scout ships. Those are just the Colonial Fleet vessels. There are also a number of transport ships designed for the deployment of both Colonial Army and Marine forces. You combine what they have with what we have and we have a lot more protection for both ourselves and Amasen."

Wallace stroked his chin as he thought of what could be done with the combined forces they now had before he asked, "Have you heard anything from Colonel Mason about the progress of 'Project Midas'?"

Colonel Alexander 'Ironhead' Mason had been the CAG of the Battlestar _Libran_ when it had been brought back into service. He had then been posted to the _Libran_'s sister ship _Gemenon_ to oversee the restoration of the old Viper Mark IVs that would be used as part of an elaborate trap to lure in the paramilitary/pirate group Erebea. When Wallace had commissioned 'Project Midas' he had chosen Mason to be in charge of the operation.

Minerva went through some papers before saying, "According to Mason the _Kronus_ is ahead of schedule and the _Hood_ is taking longer than expected but as long as the Cylons don't find us he should have the outfitting finished within four to five months."

"We've made it this far without them finding us so I don't see why our luck shouldn't hold," Wallace said before adding, "I need the battlestar commanders to start putting together lists of prospective officers for the ships as well as the numbers of enlisted crew they can afford to lose."

"Do you think our new friends have noticed we have a shipyard hidden deep in the nebula?" Adrienne asked.

"Let me ask you this, do you think we should let them know about it?" Wallace asked.

"I believe we should tell them eventually," she responded.

"I see, and would you care to explain why you would not tell them right away?" Wallace asked as he tried to keep a smile from coming to his face.

"It's a simple matter of numbers; right now they have more guns and more ships than we do. If they wanted to take what we had by force they could do so; it's a game of triad where we need to keep at least a few of our best cards to ourselves until we know we can completely trust them."

"I like the way you think," Wallace said with an approving smile on his face.

He had to wonder what the reaction would be to the revelation that he had in his possession two of the Stryker class battlestars, the class that improved on the massive Titan class battlestars, almost ready to enter service. It had been a stroke of luck to find the incomplete _Kronus_ and _Hood_. Amasen had a shipyard that had been constructed inside the nebula that helped to house the station and he had not hesitated to put it to use to finish the two battlestars. He had also sent out ships to find derelict wreckage that could be melted down to provide steel and armor for Project Midas.

"Perhaps we can convince whoever is in charge of the Marines to spare some of them for us to use. That is if the powers that be still have this 'us vs. them' mentality," Adrienne commented.

"Who's in charge of the Marine forces?" Socorro asked.

"General Otus Maxwell. He and his troops were on a transport ship that managed to escape the Cylons. Since then he has assumed overall command of all Marine forces," Ensign Ridley McLean, formerly of the Battlestar _Libran_, said.

"I've heard of him, he did a tour on Scorpia back during the fight with the Green Army," Tank said.

"I knew a Marine who saw combat during that time too," Harbrecht added.

"Is that right," Tank said before asking, "What happened to this Marine you knew?"

"He went on to join the Ministry of Intelligence, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order," Harbrecht responded.

"His name is Keene Barron?" asked Wallace.

"Yes, how did you know?" answered Harbrecht.

Arthur smiled before adding, "Just a lucky guess."

"Distinguished Service Order is a nice honor to receive, just for the life of me can't figure out why he'd want to leave the Marines and join the MoI. No offense to our spies here at this meeting," Tank said with his last comment drawing some laughter from the group.

"I never did ask him about that," Harbrecht said.

"Why is that?" Ensign Nasi Hashim, formerly of the Battlestar _Ark Royal_, asked.

"At the time, the group we were a part of was being shot at by the Sagitarron Liberation Army, the Erebea, and the Colonial Fleet at the same time. As you can imagine there wasn't a lot of room for conversation," Harbrecht said dryly.

"Let me guess, that was six years ago when Admiral Tolan was a Commander," Wallace said with a slight chuckle.

Harbrecht gave him an appraising look. "Do you know something about that mission?"

"Yes, so does Minvera," replied Wallace.

"You do?" asked Harbrecht.

"Yes, I was supposed to be the pilot for that mission, I was CAG of the _Vanguard_ at the time and Admiral Tolan was my CO. He picked me to be his pilot for the mission but I had to be replaced because developed a case of appendicitis."

"What mission are you talking about?" Adrienne asked.

"The mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece from the clutches of the Erebea and the Sagitarron Liberation Army," Minerva said.

Adrienne looked puzzled. "I don't remember seeing any of you with the videos of the rescue team."

Wallace spoke up. "A young officer by the name of Myra Aperlae convinced President Adar to let her lead a second rescue team, and in the process she betrayed Tolan's team. Once she had the two Adar women onboard she left the station and radioed the Colonial Fleet to tell them that the base was ready for them to attack. They did just that without knowing that Tolan and his people were still on the base."

Adrienne turned her attention to Wallace. "I know of Admiral Tolan, and Sergeant Harbrecht is still here, so I take it that means they made it off the base."

Harbrecht shook his head. "Not all of us did."

Wallace added, "Tolan's team took casualties during their attempt to escape; four of them were Sergeant Harbrecht's fellow Marines. They managed to get off the base using a shuttle but it was hit by fire from one of the Colonial Fleet ships. A Raptor managed to find the shuttle and when it was confirmed that the occupants were friendly they were whisked away to the _Valkyrie_. To avoid a particularly embarrassing problem, the survivors were kept as 'guests' at Fort Milledge until the publicity from the rescue had died down and the public firmly believed that Lieutenant Aperlae had bravely led a rescue team into the lion's den to save Rachael and Renee Adar."

"How did you know all that?" Hashim asked.

Wallace smiled. "I was a very good intelligence agent. Let's just say that there was something else going on with that mission that not even Tolan knew about."

The operation he was speaking of had been named Operation Cloak and Dagger by the Ministry of Intelligence. A special operation that Galit Malka was part of but no one else on the team was aware of.

"We made our deals with Admiral Corman and that got us released from that frozen hellhole, all it costs us was our silence on the issue. There are nights when I revisit what happened on that base, I'm the only one of the Marines from that mission that's still alive," Harbrecht said.

"What happened to the other one who made it out?" Adrienne asked.

"His name was Richard Somers and the two of us stayed in touch afterwards up until his death two years ago. He was on Caprica driving home one night when a drunk driver crossed the centerline and collided with his car. Thankfully Rick died immediately, I'd hate to think he suffered."

"To survive that only to be killed by a drunk driver," Ensign Safiya Amani said with a strong tone of sadness to her voice.

Wallace had a feeling that the conversation could start going away from the mission briefing it was intended to be. He also knew that he had other concerns with the station, but for him the new arrivals took precedence over Amasen's internal matters, "I'm going to my quarters but I want a report delivered to me within the hour. I need to know what ships have arrived and what personnel are known to be on these ships. If they have a high rank within the Colonial Fleet, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the Eastern Alliance then I want them mentioned. Sue, I'm going to leave you in charge of getting everything together."

Minerva nodded and said, "I'll have every scrap of information I can find put together for you within the hour."

That was something Wallace liked about her, he could give her a job to do and she never batted an eye at getting it done. She simply approached it head-on and accepted the challenge.

**Jarrell Conference Room:**

Aurelia Gilliam, Kurt Eckhart, Alfred Newton, Marian Sanders, Peter Halle, Henry White, Albert Kinlayk, Joseph Percival, Sarah Burdett, Fejga Spring, John Jekyll, and Brooke Bowman were passing the time by in the enormous Jarrell Conference Room until the meeting would reconvene. Members of the Quorum of Twelve seemed to be engrossed with their aides in various discussions, it seemed as though, for the moment, few of them could were not interested in talking with their fellow Quorum members.

Eventually though the members did in fact split up into smaller groups. One such group on the far side of the room near the entrance doors was comprised of Quorum delegates Bowman, Sanders, and Newton.

"You did well earlier in the meeting," Sanders said.

"There is something about Gilliam that brings out the argumentative side of me," Brooke admitted feeling somewhat embarrassed that her emotions may have gotten the better of her.

"She does that to a lot of us," Newton admitted before adding, "And she knows that her word carries a lot of weight. Not to mention she plays her moral high-ground card every chance she gets."

"She's a native of Sagitarron, right?" Brooke asked.

Sanders nodded, "She was born and raised in Iambe and was there when Adar ordered the Army to break up a rally that was protesting his economic policies. There were some of those back on Aquaria too, I saw one when I was visiting Basilone. As for Aurelia, she lost some family because of that and she's been an extreme pacifist since then. To say she reviles the military is a bit of an understatement."

"We had protests like that on Picon, I had a cousin who took part in one that was held in Memphis, but Adar came down hard on the Sagitarrons for some reason," Newton added.

"My husband did not hold him in the highest regard. I asked why and he said that Adar had given him too many reasons to either dislike him or not trust him," Brooke said as she remembered the look on her husband's face whenever he saw Adar on the television.

The President may have been his Commander-in-Chief but it was clear he did not care for the man.

"Do you know much about our new friends?" Sanders asked the two.

Newton shook his head, "I can't say that I have, but you have to wonder what the last eight months have been like for them."

"They've been at this station for some time so they at least had a place where they could feel somewhat safe, we've been dealing with the fact that the ships in our fleet are all we have," Brooke said as she thought about how life was on the freighter _Pandion_.

"Here are three members of the Quorum having some kind of conversation where we can't hear you," Aurelia Gilliam said as she walked up to the group along with another member of the Quorum.

"I may have to be a bit suspicious about what you may be planning," Peter Halle said.

"What could we possibly be planning?" Sanders asked.

"There are so many possibilities," Gilliam said as she began counting her fingers as though she was thinking of them. "I think you could be plotting a coup of some sort, trying to override the will of the Quorum, finding some way to throw a wrench into our attempts to bring order to this fleet, or any other kinds of activities. You're probably thinking of some way to be a nuisance to us."

"Have you thought about the possibility that Governor Rush is having them do that on purpose?" Halle asked Gilliam as though the other three were suddenly not there.

"That would make sense. I think we should have some kind of investigation as to whether Rush is trying to defy the will of the Quorum. We can bring him up on charges and have him removed from office and then we can have an appropriate leader in office!" Gilliam said with the last part of her sentence coming out with a sound of near glee.

"I'm reminded of my time as a leader with the Teachers' Union," Brooke said before turning her attention to Gilliam, "I have to say that you may be great as an activist but you make for a poor politician."

"Peter, I think it's time we left to go to a less hostile place," Gilliam said to Halle and without a word, the two left the room.

"I think you may have made yourself an enemy," Sanders commented.

"Offending Aurelia Gilliam like that, I think you're going to fit in well with the Quorum," Newton said with a laugh.

"It's only temporary; I'm looking forward to putting together and educational system for the children of the fleet," Brooke said. She had only agreed to hold the Caprica seat until newly retired Rear Admiral Timothy Nash had recovered from his injuries and would be able to take his place on the Quorum.

"It's nice to know that you'll be able to somewhat hold onto your life from before the attacks," Sanders said.

"I've always been passionate about education, and I see a chance to put that to use even with our worlds gone. What did the two of you do before the attacks?" she asked the other two.

"I was a designer with the Darien Shipping Company back on Aquaria," Sanders said before adding, "I was on the _Libris Galaxy_ and I was heading to Aerilon to inspect our new cargo ship, the _David McKelvy_, when the Cylons hit."

"I was an accountant on Picon, with Goliath Construction. When the bombs started falling I made it to the Memphis Spaceport and boarded the _Devon_ before the spaceport was destroyed," Newton said his voice betraying the fact that the day was as vividly burned onto his memory as if it had happened just yesterday.

The doors opened and in came four servers from the _Olympica_'s restaurant staff rolling in covered trays of food.

"I saw this Gemenese restaurant on D-Deck that looks interesting if you want to get a bite to eat," Sanders said and the two quickly nodded their approval before leaving the room with their aides following behind them.

**Governor David Rush's Office: **

The door to the office opened and in walked Nirmala Patel and Fleet Admiral John Kronus. Rush surmised from their body language that the news they were about to deliver did not fall in the 'Good' category.

"I assume there's something you're about to tell me that I'm not going to enjoy hearing," Rush said.

"That's correct, Governor, there's been a development that you probably won't like," Patel said.

Kronus did not say anything at first but he instead turned on a nearby television. "This broadcast is about to be carried over the fleet's wireless network as well."

"What is it about?" Rush asked.

Kronus simply pointed to the television screen where a reporter was sitting in what appeared to be the makeshift newsroom for the _Olympica_'s television station.

"Good evening, I'm Montague Burke and I come to you tonight with a special report. With me is Danya Wright and she has brought with her a bombshell announcement. Danya if you'd be so kind as to fill the people in on what you have discovered," Burke said.

"Thank you Monty," Wright said before getting to the announcement, "Recently the Colonial Fleet took their ships on what was said to be a classified mission. I can tell you now through sources who wish to remain anonymous that the mission as an attempted rescue to Ostarsis and that Admiral Tolan took every single ship that had been protecting us with him to rescue prisoners that were being kept on the Libran moon. I have learned that not only did the Colonial Fleet lose the battlestars _Ares _and _Indra_ but also that the battlestars _Athena_ and _Sphinx_ are so badly damaged that there is no chance of them being repaired."

"That is incredible but is there more to this story?" Burke asked.

"There is another part of this story that could have dire consequences for the fleet. The Battlestar _Colossus_, the flagship of Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan, has also been lost as a result of this rescue mission along with all of the battlestar's crew," Wright said and for a moment, there was a pause as the words took hold of Burke.

"You mean to tell me that Admiral Tolan and his flagship have been lost to enemy action, is there proof of this?" Burke finally asked.

Wright nodded, "Yes there is, my anonymous source gave me this video taken from a Viper that was searching for the ship. This Viper is from the Battlestar _Victorious_ and it has been confirmed as being authentic."

The screen faded away as the video footage from the Viper came on the screen showing the pieces of wreckage that were identified as having belonged to the _Colossus_.

Burke came back on the television screen. "Now, Ms. Wright, we have assembled a panel of our fellow journalists to discuss this breaking news. Could you introduce them to our viewers and listeners?"

Wright turned a panel of five journalists seated at a nearby table. "With us today are Albany Wade, formerly with the Delphi Chronicle, Tamara Brenner, formerly of the Queenstown Telegraph, Gerard Lorain, formerly with the Heim Gazette, Hamilton Robb, formerly of the Gaoth Beacon, and lastly we have Kamal Miyan, formerly of the Caprica City Herald-Examiner. It is a pleasure to have all of you here today for this discussion. I'd like to open this panel with the question of Admiral Scott Tolan, how does his death impact the war effort?"

Wade spoke first. "I believe the loss of Admiral Tolan is a crippling blow to the military at this time. You look at the possibility of the likes of Admiral Kronus taking command and it's not a pleasant thought."

"I have to disagree with you," Miyan interjected before continuing with, "Admiral Kronus is in my opinion a far superior officer than what we had with Admiral Tolan. I doubt Kronus would have been so reckless as to risk his entire fleet to save a few prisoners from the Cylons."

"How could you consider that reckless?" Robb asked.

"Look at it from this perspective, we have the Cylons hounding us day in and day out with only one goal and that is our destruction. We need every single one of those ships to keep us safe, do you have any idea what we would be looking at if the task force had taken severe losses?" Miyan asked.

"I'd like to add something," Wade cut in before Robb could respond.

"What would you like to say?" Wright asked.

"I think we're ignoring the fact that Kronus is up there in years and there's no telling how much longer he is going to last. With the way things are going we might as well meet up again in a week or so to recollect on the life and career of Admiral John Kronus."

Kronus turned off the television and turned to face Rush, "I think it's fair to say that we have a situation developing; this is not good."

"It would appear that the people could now think Admiral Tolan is in fact dead when we had agreed that he would simply be listed as Missing in Action," Patel said.

"Things have gotten even more interesting since Ostarsis," Rush muttered.

"If I may make a suggestion, I think we should bring in Ms. Wright and find out who her anonymous source was. Leaking information like this is unforgiveable!" Kronus said.

"What do you think, Patel?" asked Rush.

"I agree but it maybe what they are expecting us to do," replied Patel.

"Then what if we let someone else deal with it?" asked Kronus.

He had seen the initial intel reports regarding this base and the personnel stationed on it. He had seen the name 'Arthur Wallace' listed as the base's commanding officer and the name had brought back memories of some of the conversations he had had with Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker during the flag officer's retirement years. Stryker had spoke highly of Wallace and believed he could contribute to Colonial society.

"Well, Admiral, you have my attention, what exactly are you thinking?" asked Rush.

"Wallace," said Kronus, smiling from ear to ear and as he began to realize just why Admiral Stryker kept Wallace around.

"It's certainly worth a try, it would allow us to get the information we want without having to bring the hammer down on her," Patel said with an approving look on her face.

"I agree," Rush said before turning his attention to Kronus, "I'll arrange a meeting for you and Miss Patel with Major Wallace so that you can get the ball rolling on this."

**Amasen, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Major Arthur Wallace looked out the window of his office at the armada of military and civilian ships that were now gathered around his station. He tried to think of a time when he had seen this many ships gathered at the same location and found that he was hard-pressed to come up with one example. His mind did what it could to treat the events that would transpire over the next few days as a sort of strategy game. He had to move his pieces to the right place and play the game like a skilled master to accomplish his goals.

There was a knock on the door and he quickly called for whoever was there to enter the room, he turned and found that he was facing the two people he had expected to pay him a visit. Standing before his desk were two men who had come onboard the battlestar _Stryker_ for its decommissioning; Governor Jarrod Franklin of Scorpia and Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez were two men who had carried some clout in their respective circles.

"Major Wallace," Franklin said in a voice that implied he did not believe Wallace was focused on his arrival, "Secretary Sanchez and I heard the news; is all of it true?"

Wallace motioned to the armada visible outside the window behind him, "I think that scene out there should answer your question."

The two men walked past Wallace and gazed at the sight before them.

"Gods! That is a lot of ships…how many people on those?" Sanchez asked.

Wallace walked up behind them, "Going by our conservative accounts, between 350,000 and 500,000, but with recent events it's going to take some time to get an accurate number."

"Who is in charge?" Franklin asked.

Wallace shuffled through some papers on his desk. In truth, it was just for show since he had memorized the important information from the reports that had been sent to Amasen.

"The civilians formed a new government when it became clear that President Adar was dead. The civilians are led by David Rush; he has taken on the position of Governor."

Franklin let out a derisive laugh. "Those people are being led by a talk show host! That is ridiculous!"

"He's the second man for the job, originally they were led by Hector Alonzo but it seems he was as suited to lead them as he was to run Caprica City," Wallace said.

"What about the military?" Sanchez asked.

"Originally, power was shared between Rear Admiral Scott Tolan and Admiral John Kronus. However, it seems that Admiral Tolan is MIA after a rescue mission to Ostarsis so Kronus has assumed sole command of the Fleet," Wallace said.

He had just received the report from the _Gemenon_ stating that Tolan was MIA; there was a part of him that felt relief at hearing that piece of news.

"That's not what I would consider good news, that man did everything he could to undermine President Adar!" Sanchez exclaimed.

Wallace's face was impassive.

"That's not something I was privy to."

"The President did everything he could to reign in the runaway spending done by the military, in particular the Colonial Fleet, and Admiral Kronus fought him every step of the way. He went so far as to try to undermine Adar publicly. What kind of military officer undermines his Commander in Chief?"

"I see," Wallace said before continuing, "I would like to have the two of you present when I meet with Governor Rush and his advisors."

"Major, I'm glad to see you have such good judgment," Franklin said.

"Not that I'm opposed to us being there but why?" Sanchez asked.

"I need people with your unique insight into these matters to advise me on how we can merge our respective military and civilian groups into one fighting force. You have the expertise to give me the kind of advice I know I can count on," Wallace said warmly before looking at the clock on his desk, "We have a couple of hours before the meeting so go to your quarters to brainstorm some ideas then come meet me in about an hour over in the conference room. Alvaro, please stay for a moment."

"We'll see you in an hour," Franklin said before motioning to Sanchez that he would wait for him outside.

"So what did you want to speak to me about?" asked Sanchez, who may work for Arthur but didn't really like him.

"So what did you think about Stryker speaking out against Adar?" asked Wallace, standing up and walking over to where he kept something to drink.

"To be honest, I thought he was a crazy old man," replied Sanchez.

"Anything else?" Wallace asked his tone casual and disarming.

"I also thought Stryker always got too much credit for saving the colonies." Sanchez didn't get to finish, as he saw Wallace's fist coming straight for his face.

Arthur's first punch sent Sanchez flying backward and landing against the edge of the room. Before Sanchez could move, he saw Wallace standing over him.

He asked, "What the frak was that for?"

"For your disrespect," answered Wallace, whose fists were red and bruised.

"Frak you!" Sanchez said before sending a wad of spit onto Wallace's pant leg.

"Well then, have some more," replied Wallace, who kicked Sanchez in the stomach several times; then once in the face for good measure.

"I'm only going to says this once, so listen closely because I hate to repeat myself. You will show Kronus more respect than what Adar showed to him or Stryker. If you do not, then one day you may find that someone has taken the time to either cut your throat or something I'm sure you value a great deal. You need to remember that this is my station and you will do what I say. Am I making myself clear or shall I speak more slowly?"

Sanchez nodded, as Wallace said, "Good thinking, Sanchez."

Wallace's voice then returned to its casual friendliness when he said, "I hope we can get over this little incident and work together for a better future."

Sanchez nodded again, as he stood up and walked away very slowly. Wallace could not help but feel a sense of gratitude to the MoI for having trained him to be able to strike without leaving a mark.

'That went well,' Wallace thought.

He wanted two things now. One was to get whatever information he could on the people he had come to consider the _Olympica_ government. The other was that Franklin and Sanchez's desire for power and status would create enough confusion to give him time to make sure that he did not lose his position as the Commanding Officer of Amasen.

He picked up a communiqué from the _Olympica_ informing him that the planned meeting would be delayed for several hours and Governor Rush would let him know the new time. There would however be a small group coming over on a Raptor to tour the station.

Wallace sighed and sent a message to Colonel Cecil Bradford, his XO on the station, to inform him of the Raptor's arrival and to arrange a tour of the station. He was in no mood to give a tour of his station and in truth, he really did not want to. The delayed meeting was just as well for him, he needed to relax and he had an idea as to how he wanted to go about it.

He sighed, and walked to the wireless and dialed Rebekka's quarters. Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland, the station's Tactical Officer as well as his girlfriend, answered.

"Rebekka, do you have a moment," asked Arthur.

"Do you need to talk, or something else?" asked Rebekka with a giggle, as she always knew the answer.

"Both."

"All right, I will meet you in your quarters in 15 minutes. I was just about to jump in the shower so I have to get dressed," replied Stotland, ending the call before Wallace could speak.

'Gods, I love that women,' thought Arthur, as he sat down at his desk and plugged in the small drive that contained the data files on the citizens the Ministry of Intelligence had deemed worthy of profiling. Perhaps there was something in there he could use to his advantage…

Much later, as Wallace's head lay on top of Rebekka's chest, the door to his quarters swung open with a loud crash. Standing at the door was Cinta Melati and Whitney Thompson.

Whitney Thompson had been a member of the Ministry of Intelligence and Arthur Wallace was her fiancé. She had been captured by the Cylons and had been rescued from Ostarsis. The sight of the man she was going to marry with a new woman left her speechless at first, before she was able to ask, "Good to see you again, Arthur. Care to explain what you're doing?"

"We had just finished making love before the two of you stormed in here!" shouted Stotland.

Wallace, with a shut-the-frak-up look on his face, quickly moved his hand to cover her mouth before he said, "Cinta, you made it back from Ostarsis in one piece and Whitney…you're alive…I can explain."

"Let me guess," Thompson said with barely concealed sarcasm, "She slipped and fell then when you went to help her off the ground the two of you somehow managed to fall onto the bed."

Wallace tried again to diffuse the situation, "When you put it like that you make it sound worse than it really is. As far I knew, the Cylons didn't take prisoners. When you were captured that day, I assumed you had moved on to the afterlife. Believe me, I was devastated and Rebekka here was my shoulder to lean on."

"In truth, the two of you had your chance, Arthur is mine now," said Stotland as she wrapped her arms around Wallace.

"Not helping," Wallace said, while giving her look that implied it would be wise for her remains silent.

"You may want to tell them about me also," says Natalia Romanova.

"Damn," Wallace uttered, looking around for an escape hatch.

"First thing I'd like to know is whether or not what Captain Thompson told me is true," Melati said with a decidedly cold look to her hazel eyes.

Wallace turned his attention to Thompson, "Exactly what is it that she told you?"

Thompson smirked, "I told Cinta of the plot to kill her. It seems she knew the Colonial Fleet was after her but she was unaware that the Ministry of Intelligence helping to kill her."

Wallace gulped. "You told her about that?"

Melati moved closer. "It was one thing to pose as a weapons dealer as a cover for your real job as a Ministry of Intelligence officer, but to knowingly seduce me and get me in bed while you were plotting to kill me, that's just cold-hearted."

Wallace felt the situation might be reaching a point where it could escalate out of control, "Cinta, here's the thing, I wasn't really going to kill you. Honestly, I have a way to save you and your people and let the MoI believe you had been eliminated once and for all."

Then Wallace walked over to his desk and unlocked the safe located behind it and handed Melatia file, with read: Operation Backstab. As he watched her read the report, Wallace thought, 'Gods, where is Tank when I need him,' as all four women he sleeping with stood in his quarters, glaring at him with looks that left little imagination as to what they were thinking. If he were not careful, this could end badly for him…very badly.

Then there was a knock at the door, "Arthur, you're needed in CIC," yelled Tank. 'Tank' was the nickname of Master Sergeant Darrell Robinson, a friend of Wallace's that dated to their childhood on Aquaria.

'Thank the Gods,' thought Wallace as he said, "Ladies, I have to go."

"We will be right here waiting for you to get back," answered Thompson.

As Wallace and Tank walk away from his quarters, Wallace asked, "How about somewhere warm for a vacation?' causing Tank to laugh.

"What was in the file you handed Cinta to read?" asked Tank. The truth was that he had never heard of an Operation Backstab before now.

"It was a fake document that will hopefully convince her that I was not going to kill her…I had made it a point to prepare for the possibility she would out," replied Arthur, "I knew Whitney would tell her at some point."

"Then what is Operation Backstab?"

"Tank, listen…I trust you more than anyone else in the whole universe but it's better you don't know."

Tank saw the look in his friend's eyes and decided to drop it.

**Amasen, CIC: **

Wallace and Tank came to the CIC to see Colonel Cecil Bradford, the station's XO, and Lieutenant Rajesh Suman standing at the Communications station.

"Cecil, when this is over I'm buying you a drink of your choice," Wallace said to Bradford.

In the time since he had taken command of Amasen, he had instituted his decidedly relaxed rules and regulations, one of which was the more casual way he and his subordinates interacted with one another.

"I'll take you up on that in the future," Bradford said before pointing to the dispatch Suman was holding in his hands, "This came to us from Admiral Kronus on the _Olympica_. He requests you come over immediately for a meeting with him and Governor David Rush."

Wallace read the communiqué and said, "In that case, you're in charge until I return. Have Little Tank ready a Raptor to take me over to the _Olympica_, the sooner the better."

Bradford laughed, "I already have it taken care of, and the Raptor is fueled and ready for takeoff as soon as you arrive."

'If I survive this I'm going to have you promoted,' Wallace thought as he turned and left the CIC with Tank in tow.

"You are really eager to get off of this station," Tank said teasingly.

"You have to look at it through my eyes," Wallace said before continuing. "I have a Ministry of Intelligence assassin who may be gunning for me, the leader of the Erebea who, thanks to Whitney, now knows that I was planning to kill her. Then there is Whitney who has come back from being gone for the last eight months to find that the man she was going to marry has been mourning her loss by having sex with other women."

"Did it ever occur to you that you should just pick one woman and stay with her? For as long as I've been married to Janet I've never thought I'd need more than her."

Wallace shook his head, "The married life works for you, Tank, but I think the evidence has shown that I'm not really cut out for a serious relationship much less monogamy; plus what's the fun of that? Besides, for almost eight months now we have been living one day to the next with the specter of death hanging over our heads, I've been making a point to indulge myself and live my life to the fullest."

"What's with you today?" Tank asked, he had seen Wallace like this before but today was different.

"You don't know what today is?"

"No…"

"Think about it for a moment."

Tank realized what Wallace was talking about, "Arthur it's been eight years since Cayla's death. It was not your fault."

"Yes it was and because of Cayla's death…I also lost Guinevere."

Meredith 'Guinevere' Raskoph was Wallace's girlfriend during his time at Aquaria Junior Military Academy. Her best friend, Cayla Martinez, was killed during a shoot out between the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ha'la'tha. Unknown to Arthur,Ministry of Intelligence officer Mitchell Cain was responsible for Cayla's death. She had died in Wallace's arms and her death served to cause a rift to open between him and Guinevere. She blamed Wallace for her best friend's death and had reminded him many times that he was responsible because ultimately he had failed to protect Cayla.

"Arthur, you can't keep blaming yourself."

"Yes I can, Tank, it was my fault that she died…I failed once and I'm going to make damn sure I never fail again," replied Wallace.

What Tank didn't know was that Cayla had been pregnant with her and Arthur's daughter at the time of her death. The event was the proverbial last straw for Admiral Stryker and it served to remind him that the Ministry of Intelligence had become a bastardized version of what it had been intended to be back during the days of the Cylon War and now it was time to destroy the MOI. Wallace had originally agreed to Stryker's plan simply to seek revenge for Cayla.

"I always thought you and Cayla would be married," replied Tank, never really liking Guinevere.

"Maybe some other time, places, or dimension…we would be married with a daughter," sighed Wallace.

"Arthur, are you all right?"

"No, plus Guinevere is now dating Windbag…" Wallace said with the strong hint of disgust in his voice. Major Evan Windsor had been a rival of his during their time with the MoI and the dislike was so great that Wallace gave the officer the nickname 'Windbag'.

"Now, I understand why you like him so much," replied Tank with a chuckle. He knew his deadpan delivery would probably irritate his friend but he was perhaps the only person who could get away with such a thing.

Wallace simply rolled his eyes and continued to walk down to the hangar deck.

The two got to the hangar deck and saw the Raptor waiting and both promptly got inside with Wallace taking the co-pilot's seat and Tank sitting where the ECO seat.

"Quick, Little Tank, get me to the _Olympica_ ASAP!" Wallace said with a sense of relief starting to come over him.

"Won't be a problem, Arthur, I'll put some distance between you and whatever it is you're running from," Little Tank said with a barely suppressed grin.

"I see that look on your face," Wallace says as he adjusted the straps on his seat.

"I know exactly what you're trying to get away from," Little Tank teased as he waited for the Raptor to be raised to the flight pod so it could launch.

"I'd love to say that it is not what you think it is but that would be a lie. Let's face it…it wouldn't even be a good one," Wallace admitted knowing that he had a small group of angry and dangerous women on Amasen who would probably be more than willing to help him find out if there was really such a thing as an afterlife.

Until things on Amasen cooled down, the station was not a safe place for him to be.

Wallace looked to the back of the Raptor and saw Carmen Bayonet asleep in the back of the Raptor. The two had met a couple of years ago on Caprica when he had attempted to recover a high-level Erebea defector from the city of Tzorah.

Little Tank noticed Wallace looking back at her and he could not help but ask, "Are you sleeping with her too?"

Wallace smiled and replied, "Not yet in spite of my best efforts…but it's just a matter of time."

Little Tank laughed and shook his head, "One of these days that is going to come back to haunt you."

"That's where you're wrong because if there is one lesson I've learned it's to always have an escape plan."

Little Tank did not respond with more than another shake of his head. Instead, he made a last run through his checklist as the Raptor was moved into its launch position. Moments later, it left Amasen and headed toward the _Olympica_.

**Author's Note: **

**I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Allen Knott and Pam Barker for their work in helping me get this chapter ready for publishing. Pam has done an outstanding job as an editor and has helped to improve the quality of the story. Allen has also been a valued source of feedback with both the chapter and the usage of Arthur Wallace and other characters from his 'Battlestar Leonidas' story. **


	4. Chapter 4: Fraying at the Edges

**Chapter Four: Fraying at the Edges**

**Four Years Before the Fall:**

**Caprica City, Caprica, Symington Fleet Air Station:**

The Caprica City suburb of Symington was the location of one of the three fleet air stations in the Caprica City area operated by the Colonial Fleet. Out of the three bases, Symington was the largest of the three and it was here where the trial of Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman was scheduled to be held.

Retired Admiral John Kronus had been summoned to Symington for a meeting in the Commandant's Office. It seemed strange that a retired flag officer would allow himself to be summoned on such short notice, yet here he was waiting for the person he was to meet with. Kronus stood at the window watching the activities of the base. There were Vipers being prepped for launch and off in the distance he saw a group of Raptors coming in to land on one of the nearby runways. It had been some time since he was last on a Colonial Fleet installation and while he was now here as a civilian it seemed the base's personnel preferred to treat him as though he were still on active duty.

The door to the room opened and he turned from the window to see that his guest had arrived. He looked slightly older than the last time he they had met but his eyes still held the same fire they had from back in the Cylon War. The retired Fleet Admiral was now wearing the same blue officer uniform that Kronus was wearing. Even though both men were retired from active duty a special amendment had been passed by the Quorum of Twelve that allowed certain distinguished retired flag officers to continue to wear their officer uniforms.

"It's been a while, Jonas; how are Elizabeth and the kids?" Kronus asked.

"They're doing fine, John," Stryker said as he shook hands with Kronus.

"I was supposed to be in Caprica City anyway. I was invited by Bremner University to speak to the class graduating from the law school. I remember when you first had me take over the JAG corps, going from commanding a battlestar task force to heading the Fleet's lawyers seemed a step down at the time."

Stryker was quiet for a moment before saying, "I know at the time you didn't think too highly of my decision but I had every reason for doing that. You had earned your law degree and if it hadn't have been for the Cylons you would have put it to good use on Leonis. Besides, it was time for a reduction of our forces and I didn't want to see you return to civilian life."

Kronus managed to stifle a laugh, "One of the many times when the bureaucrats said they wanted to make the fleet leaner and stronger."

Stryker let out a laugh, "If they took the time to listen to themselves when they said that then the politicians would know just how full of it they sounded."

"I know what you mean. Listen, Admiral, I know you brought me here for a reason and I don't think it's to reminisce about the old days."

"That's something I respect about you, Kronus, you like to get to the point. I don't know if you follow the news but there is a Colonial Fleet officer facing murder charges. His name is Artimus Bowman; he's a Lieutenant Colonel and a Raptor instructor over at Vaught-Hemingway. I want you to defend him."

Kronus was stunned by the request and it took him a moment to get his thoughts together, "I'm retired, sir, I don't see how I could make a difference in this trial. Is it military or civilian?"

"It's a military trial, and while I don't know Colonel Bowman personally I did know his grandfather. He did a favor for me during a mission on Canceron and I want to do the same for him. He called me and asked me to get help for his grandson, and that's why I'm bringing you in to help him."

"That's honorable of you, but why me?"

"Because, Kronus, you're a damn good lawyer and if I'm going to send someone in to fight this battle on behalf of Colonel Bowman, you can bet I'm going to bring the best I have."

Kronus was quiet as he went over everything in his mind and realized that deep down there was no reason for him to deny this request. "Who's the opposing council?"

"Major Lamar Peyton is prosecuting. It seems Admiral Knowles handpicked him for the case," Stryker said.

**Present Day: **

_**Olympica**_**, Admiral Kronus' Office: **

The door opened and two people entered the room. One of them was Nirmala Patel, a top aide to Governor David Rush, and the other was Major Arthur Wallace. Wallace had arrived from Amasen less than fifteen minutes ago. Patel met him at the shuttle bay where his Raptor had landed. She had quickly informed him that he needed to follow her to meet with Admiral Kronus.

"You move faster than I gave you credit for?" Wallace whispered to her after he had closed the door.

"I thought you were going to do a better job of keeping up," Patel whispered back.

"If you hadn't slowed down I might have gotten lost back there on D-Deck."

"You'll have to forgive me for that," she said before continuing, "I sometimes forget how fast I can walk when I'm on duty. I honestly thought you had kept up with me."

"Let me amend what I just said. You move fast for a woman wearing high heels," Wallace said and the two had to fight back the urge to laugh. Truth was he had no trouble with following behind the attractive Leonisian, in his opinion the woman's choice of wardrobe did her figure justice.

"You do realize we don't want to startle the Admiral; he is sleeping after all," Patel said with a tilt of her head toward the desk where Kronus was sound asleep.

"Well Nirmala, I can call you by 'Nirmala' right?" Wallace asked. She nodded. He continued with, "I think it would do Admiral Kronus worlds of good if we tested his reaction time. As long as he's not carrying a gun we should be fine."

"You do realize you're only inviting trouble don't you?" she asked.

Wallace smiled at her, "That's never stopped me before."

"Remember that if this makes him angry that I was opposed to it."

"Your objection is noted, besides…I would never put a woman in harm's way."

Patel raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "I have my suspicions about that."

Wallace walked over and gently shook Kronus by his shoulder, "Admiral Kronus, it's time to wake up."

Kronus mumbled something but it was not much longer until his eyes fluttered opened, "I have to stop dreaming about my last case."

Patel asked, "Your last case?"

Kronus' eyes adjusted and became focused as his the fog of sleep left his mind, "I was dreaming about the last case I tried as a lawyer, it was four years ago on Caprica."

"It was a favor for Admiral Stryker, he asked you to defend an officer by the name of Artimus Bowman," Wallace said.

"Hello Arthur, I see you seem to be doing well in spite of everything. You at least look healthy," Kronus said when he saw Wallace standing off to the side.

"I was fortunate to find the station Admiral Stryker had left for us. He always said the Cylons would return, I think if he's there in the afterlife he's pointing at us and saying he told us so," Wallace said.

Kronus nodded his head, "I'm not saying he wouldn't be entitled to it. Gods the Cylons caught us with our pants down on this one, you'd think we'd have been better prepared for it."

"You can't blame the Fleet completely for this, Adar did all he could to make us vulnerable," Wallace said.

"The Major is right; there was nothing you could have done to have stopped it. If anything you and Admiral Tolan have shown that there is still some fight left in the Colonial Fleet's remnants," Patel added.

"I see you have yourself a cheerleader on your side," Wallace said jokingly and for an instant he thought he could feel the heat of Patel's glare on his back.

"Before Ms. Patel burns a hole in your back I need your help," Kronus said before continuing, "I need you to get close to a reporter by the name of Danya Wright. Someone has leaked highly classified documents to her and we need to find out who did it. She's a reporter who is probably not going to give up her sources easily so take however long you need to get the information."

"I'll be happy to help but the traveling back and forth from Amasen to here is going to be exhausting."

Kronus smiled and nodded to Patel, "Ms. Patel has taken the time to secure you a luxury suite here on the _Olympica_, and we will provide you with enough credits to buy yourself some more…upscale clothing so you can look like you're someone who could actually afford a luxury suite on the _Olympica_. You may want to use an alias as well, I'm sure you had plenty from your time with the Ministry of Intelligence."

Wallace smiled, "When I leave this room you can refer to me as 'William Savedge', will there be anyone assisting me or am I going solo?"

Patel stepped forward, "I volunteered to serve as your assistant, that way I can keep tabs on how the operation is going and report your progress to Admiral Kronus."

"I think I'm going to rather enjoy going back to undercover work," Wallace said before turning to Patel with a grin, "So you're my girlfriend, mistress, or anything along those lines?"

"I'm your secretary and that is strictly in a professional sense," Patel said.

"The thought never crossed my mind," Wallace tried to say innocently.

"Of course it didn't. Let's head to your suite and I'll brief you further on Ms. Wright. Admiral, I will see you in about two hours as scheduled," Patel said and she left the room with Wallace behind her once again trying to keep up with her.

_**Olympica**_**, Dome One: **

Five Colonial Fleet officers stood underneath a large oak tree that provided shade against the artificial sun. If they hadn't known they were on the _Olympica,_ it would have been easy to imagine that they were on Caprica, Picon, or any of the twelve colonies. With the Quorum's meeting temporarily on hold, it seemed a great idea for the officers to get away and relax before it resumed. Admiral Naomi Sakura, Rear Admiral Nicholas Tattnall, Rear Admiral Lewis Ware, Commander Jerome Cyprian, and Commander Audra Ortiz had come here to enjoy the scenery and ultimately discuss the events of the last eight months.

"As much of a pain in the ass as he's been since he first came onto my ship, Wallace has more often than not shown good judgment," Cyprian admitted.

"You had to deal with him longer than I did, but I at least had the previous experience with the Ministry of Intelligence," Tattnall said.

"How did that work out for you when you met up with us?" Ortiz asked even though she knew the answer.

"He was different from most of the MoI agents I had dealt with during my mission," Tattnall answered.

"What were you doing working the Ministry of Intelligence?" Ware asked.

"It all started a little over six years ago."

"Hello officers, taking in the lovely sights the dome provides?" a man asked as he and another man walked over to where the officers were sitting.

"This is nothing like what we had back on Amasen," Cyprian said before asking, "Who are you?"

"Forgive me for losing my manners. I'm Grant Carlyle, the Colonial Line representative for the Olympica and this is my assistant, Charles Courtney," Carlyle said as the other man nodded to the group upon hearing his name.

"With the exception of Admiral Sakura this is our first time on the _Olympica_," Tattnall said.

"I hope you find it to your liking, we put the very best into making her and I hope that comes across," Carlyle said with no small measure of pride.

"If we have any ideas for improving life on this ship believe me you'll be the first one we tell," Cyprian said in a mock-serious tone.

"I would appreciate that…now if you'll excuse me," Carlyle said as he and Courtney turned to leave.

"That was interesting," Ortiz said.

"Glad to see our opinion is so highly valued, do you think we'd actually have anything to add on improving the ship?" Ware asked.

Sakura shook her head, "If it was on how to turn the _Olympica_ into a quality troop ship I could give plenty of ideas but since I don't see that happening anytime soon…I have nothing."

A movement off to the side caught the groups' attention and their heads turned to see Rear Admiral Brannigan coming towards them.

"Rear Admiral Brannigan, what brings you here?" Sakura asked.

"I just received a communiqué from Admiral Kronus," Brannigan began before continuing with, "He wants to cobble together a battlestar task force to carry out hit-and-run attacks against the Cylons."

"I know most of our ships have been damaged, even the _Helios_ could use some time in the dock for repairs," Sakura said.

"He's going to create the task force with the _Libran_, _Stryker_, and _Gemenon_ as the battlestars. Admiral Ware's cruiser task force will provide the gunnery support needed to keep the ships safe. The _Ark Royal_ is going to be the primary defense ship for Amasen while the other battlestars are undergoing repairs. Admiral Sakura, you will be able to pick your flagship," Brannigan said.

"Did Kronus give any suggestions as to where he'd like for me to concentrate?" Sakura asked.

Brannigan shook his head, "He has left word that it will be up to your discretion. All he says is that it's important that you keep the Cylons from Amasen, other than that the course of action you take is up to you."

"Let Admiral Kronus know that we'll be ready to leave in three to five days and I'll be flying my flag in the Stryker," Sakura finally said.

"That would prove good for morale, the name 'Stryker' can be a rallying point for the military and the civilians. Regardless, I know what Admiral Kronus would tell you, 'Good hunting Admiral Sakura.'" Brannigan said before saluting her and turning to leave.

"Well this is going to be interesting, I get to call a new ship 'home' for the time being," Sakura said before turning her attention to Cyprian, "Commander Cyprian, it looks like we're going to be working together."

Cyprian smiled, "It will be nice to have the _Stryker_ being used as a proper flagship."

"Indeed it will be, let's get back to our ships and get the wheels turning on this. The sooner we have everything ready the sooner we can start hitting the Cylons," Sakura said as she started making her way to one of the exits. She was going to be on a ship besides the Helios and in command of her own task force. In a way it was exciting but at the same time she felt a bit sad about leaving the ship that she had commanded for the last eight months.

"Who's going to be in charge of the _Gemenon_?" Sakura asked.

"I believe Commander Minerva is going to be in charge," Tattnall said before adding, "She was my XO on the Libran and she's more than qualified to command a battlestar."

"Sounds like a plan to me, let's break up our little get-together and get to work," Sakura said as she turned around and began walking towards the nearest exit.

_**Olympica**_**, Aurelia Gilliam's Office: **

Aurelia Gilliam was taking a short break from the Quorum meeting in order to meet a person she hoped she could form a mutually beneficial partnership with. The idea had come to her while she was reading the after action reports from the Battle of Ostarsis. She had found a piece of information she hoped to use to her advantage and solidify her status as one of the heavy hitters on the Quorum. She knew from the reports given to her by her Eli Hunter, her Chief-of-Staff, that she had struck a chord with those in the civilian fleet who had become dissatisfied with not only the administration of Governor David Rush but also with the way the Admiralty had prosecuted the war against the Cylons. It had been eight months and they were no closer to a peaceful resolution than they had been when the Colonies fell.

The door opened and in walked the man she had been expecting. She had expected to see him still in his flight suit but instead he wore the blue uniform of a Colonial Fleet officer. She had taken the time to read his dossier and she had an idea as to what she should mention to build a sort of shared kinship. Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter, the CAG of the battlestar _Ark Royal_, was a fellow Sagitarron and could be a useful tool in her campaign.

"Major Hunter, it is a pleasure to meet you," Gilliam said as she stood up and offered him a handshake.

"Thank you, Ms. Gilliam," he said as he shook her offered hand before taking a seat.

"I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to come and see me on such short notice. I can only imagine how things are for you on the _Ark Royal_. I take it your air group came out okay," she said as she began the small talk she hoped would put the officer at ease.

"We lost a handful of pilots but they acquitted themselves in the battle," Hunter said matter-of-factly.

"I for one am grateful to hear that! My Chief-of-Staff is Eli Hunter, he's also from Sagittaron. I believe he grew up in Tawa. Your file says you're from a small town called 'Freedom', I've heard of it but I've never been there. Are you two related?"

Hunter shrugged, "There could be a chance but I highly doubt it. If you don't mind my bluntness Ms. Gilliam, I need to get back to my ship to meet with my squadron commanders."

Gilliam kept what she wanted to say at bay and instead said, "We Sagittarons don't have many in the military so it's important that we recognize those that serve to protect us. I have read your file and I'm sorry to say that the Colonial Fleet has shown its usual biases against our people and have not properly recognized your achievements. With that said, I am planning to honor you in three to five days when I can get all of the arrangements made. You can expect to get commended and properly rewarded for all you've done to keep us safe."

Hunter kept his expression neutral, "If the Admiralty signs off on it then I'd be honored, but I want you to know Ms. Gilliam that I am not some pawn you can use to gain more power for yourself. I will not be taken advantage of and used to further whatever agenda you may have. Just so we're clear…"

Gilliam smiled back at him, "Understood perfectly. I know you need to get back to your ship so thank you for meeting with me Major Hunter."

Hunter stood and left the room without saying a word.

Gilliam lit a cigarette and pondered the meeting she had just had with the officer. It could have gone better to be sure but it was a start and that was all she could ask for. She could use him to her advantage and he would probably be none the wiser. In her eyes Viper pilots were just like dogs, if you petted them and provided enough toys to play with then they would be forever loyal.

"You have that look on your face," Eli Hunter said.

"What look would that be?" Gilliam asked.

"The look that says you're plotting something and it is probably going to ruffle some feathers," he said as he took the seat that had been previously occupied by the Viper pilot.

"I was thinking that what we really need is an event to honor the Sagittarons in the fleet. As much as we've been slighted over the years it is only right that we do something that would give us a moment in the sun and give my own little 'Frak you' to the rest of the military," she said with a smile as she the ceremony played out in her mind.

"That may not work; do you think the people would go for it? Not to mention that I doubt Governor Rush would approve it, I'm sure he'd say something about it being divisive."

Gilliam laughed, "I could care less what that man thinks, but to make sure it passes I'll just leave out a few small details until the ceremony takes place."

_**Olympica**_**, Grand Staircase, B-Deck Landing: **

Mark Hunter turned the corner and found himself on the B-Deck Landing of the _Olympica's_ Grand Staircase. He had thought of his meeting with Aurelia Gilliam and there was something about the woman that did not sit well with him. He had a feeling she was up to something but in truth he knew nowhere near enough to deduce what it was, all he was certain of was that she probably intended to use him as some kind of pawn. He put his hands on the rail and looked down; the staircase went from the top deck of the ship all the way down to the bottom of the passenger decks. He could see the passengers either milling about on various parts of staircase or using them to get from one deck to another.

He had seen the videos of the _Olympica's_ construction and he had to admit that the ship lived up to the hype. Here he was in a wood-paneled work of art that was on a level he could not have imagined. It was an interesting contrast in his opinion. The world of the military was not known for its comforts and for the past eight months on the _Ark Royal_ that had been his life. Yet the _Olympica _was a testament to the luxurious life of the upper echelon of Colonial society.

"You look deep in thought, I wasn't sure if you were still capable of that," a woman's voice said in a decidedly teasing manner.

Hunter turned around to see Captain Alisa Stark walking up to him from behind where he was standing, "I was wondering where you were at."

Stark came up to where he was standing and glanced down to the bottom of the Grand Staircase, "That's a long way down."

"I suppose it is," Hunter said before asking, "How are you enjoying the ship?"

"I found this bar on C-Deck called the 'Icefish Grille' that caught my eye. I may make a point to stop by there and have a drink or two before I have to return to the _Ark._ How did your meeting with your Quorum rep go?" she asked.

"Truth be told, I trust her about as much as I would trust the Cylons. I know she's up to something but I need more time to figure out what it is," Hunter took one last look down the staircase then said, "Now show me this bar you speak of, I think after all we've been through it's about time we had a few celebratory drinks."

"Couldn't agree with you more CAG," Stark said with a smile as she made her way down the stairs to the C-Deck landing.

Hunter caught up to her and walked at the same pace she was, "Looks like we have to navigate the passenger area before we reach this place."

Stark looked over at him, "The good news is that this should be the last area of cabins we have to navigate before we reach the restaurant section."

"Lead the way since you know where you're going, what do you think of this place?" Hunter said as the pair headed aft through the maze of cabins. It was not as though the rooms had been arranged haphazardly, it was the fact that after every corridor looked the same and the only way to tell you were heading down a different hallway was with the room numbers. Taking a left or a right was not particularly helpful but knowing that the direction they needed to go was aft did make it somewhat easier. Once they reached the end of the cabin area it might be a different story, if all worked out maybe Stark would get to the right door.

"I may not know that well, for all I know I'll take a wrong turn and open a door that leads to a cleaning supply room or something along those lines," Stark said with a chuckle.

"I'll try not to make any jokes about that if you do, after all it's a big ship so it could be easy to get lost," Hunter said diplomatically.

"I thought Amasen was decent enough but it pales in comparison to this ship, it's like a floating metropolis in space. I think they thought of everything when they designed her, suddenly shore leave has become more fun."

Hunter chuckled, "I think our time on Amasen has given us a certain perspective, I think when more people come over here they'll agree that _Olympica_ will spoil them."

The pair exited a set of double doors and walked into a double level area that looked like a cluster of restaurants, bars, and clubs all jammed into one area. Above them a rhythmic bass could be heard from a place named 'Verbeia'. Hunter and Stark looked up and each of them took in the long line that extended from the tinted glass doors that served as the club's entrance.

"You didn't mention that being near the bar," Hunter said.

"It's not, I think we took a wrong turn somewhere in the cabin area. Follow me," Stark said and she headed to the left towards a set of sliding glass doors that led to another part of the restaurant section of the ship.

As the pair passed through the doorway the sounds of the clubs faded away and they were in an area that seemed to provide a quieter dining experience than the area that they had just been in.

"There it is, first round's on me!" Stark said as she pointed to nautical-themed restaurant with 'Icefish Grille' in blue neon lettering above the entrance.

"We have ourselves a couple of officers!" a man's voice called out behind him as he through the door with an entourage.

"Your grasp of the obvious is astounding," Hunter deadpanned.

"It's Leon Delroy!" Stark gasped in excitement as the pyramid player made his way towards them.

"I see I have a fan!" Delroy exclaimed as he shook hands with Hunter and got a hug from Stark.

"I have followed your career since you were drafted by Picon, I thought you were going to lead Gemenon to the Kobol Cup when you signed with them," Stark said.

"You must tell me your name and your silent friend's as well," Delroy said.

"Captain Alisa Stark of the _Ark Royal_ and my usual talkative friend is Major Mark Hunter," Stark said and she was surprised to see Hunter try to not shoot her an irritated look.

"I had hoped for that but the good news is that I've helped to start a pyramid league here on the Olympica. You and your friend should come catch one of our games; you can be guests of mine!"

Hunter finally said, "I remember telling my friend Skeeter that you were perhaps the best pure athlete to play pyramid. Sadly he said that your skill on defense was on par with your relationship skills."

"Ow... okay…how about you come with me and I'll buy you a drink, my way of thanking you for all you've done to keep us safe. I'll even throw in a dance with Captain Alisa for good measure," Delroy said as he threw a charming smile Stark's way.

"Sounds good to me but I have to warn you that I've seen Alisa dance and it's not pretty…" Hunter said and it was then that Stark put an elbow into his rib cage to quiet him.

_**Olympica**_** Security: **

The atmosphere in Karin Briggs' office carried the unmistakable hint of the tension that accompanies a failed mission. In the eyes of those involved with the raid on the freighter _Jauron_ the good that came from the endeavor was negated by what was not accomplished. Dante Solis had evaded capture and there was no idea as to where in the fleet he had gone.

Mitchell Cain, Jessica Jennings, Lyndon Ewing, Rhoda Davis, and Angelique Simone were seated at the conference table with a mix of disbelief and anger at how the raid on Solis' ship had turned out. They had managed to gain a large degree of intel on his operations and now knew most of the people who worked for him but that was less than their stated goal of bringing down Solis.

"Any idea on who The Watcher is?" Simone asked.

"Sounds like a valued spy of his," Cain said as he went over the notes mentioning the operative Solis simply referred to as 'The Watcher', "Solis went to great pains not to name the person in his notes, I think he or she is some sort of observer that reports to him and allows him to stay one step ahead.

"Whoever it is, it's making our job that much harder," Ewing said with a frustrated sigh.

"We'll get whoever this is and bring Solis down once and for all," Cain said with conviction.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this Cain but that sounds like a line straight from a movie script," Davis said and surprisingly everyone at the table laughed.

"Point taken but the fact is we're going to get him and what's left of his group sooner or later. Though I admit I'd rather we did this sooner," Cain said once his laughter had died down.

"Have you thought about our next move?" Jennings asked.

"I'm going to go to Governor Rush and meet with him, then I think Director Briggs and I can strategize our next move," Cain said before adding, "Everyone's dismissed, I want reports turned in before the day is over," Cain said and the group got up and left the room.

"Sorry I was late, I had a meeting with Captain Edwards on the status of my forces," Karin Briggs, the Director of _Olympica_ Security, said as she stood in the doorway to her office.

"What concerns the _Olympica's_ skipper?" Cain asked. Captain Robert Edwards was the senior officer of the Colonial Line and had been tasked with commanding the company's marquee ships. Since the Cylon attack he had done all he could to keep order on the liner.

"He's concerned about Solis and his gang possibly being on the ship and he's hoping that our quest to bring Solis down won't stretch my force too thin," Briggs said as she took a seat at her desk.

"It's not something I would worry about, you still have a fully staffed security force and from what I have heard is that Governor Rush is going to expand on your authority," Cain said as he turned his chair away from the conference table to face her.

A surprised look came over Briggs' face, "How could you have known about that? It wasn't even announced to the press!"

Cain shrugged, "It's been rumored for some time. Besides, it will benefit you to be something besides a group of corporate rent-a-cops."

"It's an interesting situation to be in. For the longest time we were only concerned with stopping vandalism and other types of petty crimes. Then when the attacks happened we were unofficially given more powers to police the ship. Now look at us, _Olympica_ Security is going to become a legitimate police force."

"I'm sure if you need to there are other people in the civilian fleet who were in law enforcement that could be useful to you," Cain said.

"Perhaps, it would be nice to have some extra personnel here," Briggs said as she reached into a nearby mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

"What was your life like before the attack?" Cain asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't found some way to read my file," she said teasingly.

"I thought about it but then I decided it'd be more fun to actually have a conversation with you. If you lie to me I'll know it."

Briggs raised an eyebrow at him, "I take it that's something you learned with the MoI?"

"Any agent who joins the Ministry of Intelligence is trained at detecting whether or not someone is lying," Cain responded before asking, "So what's your history?"

"I'm thirty-four and I'm originally from Aquaria. I grew up in Fort Hawkins; actually it was Ocmulgee…believe me when I tell you it is not one of the nicer areas of the city."

"Rough area to grow up in, did you spend your whole life there?"

Briggs shook her head, "When I graduated from high school I made it a point to get out of there, I knew all too well that there wasn't much of a future for me if I stayed in Ocmulgee. I had a friend who wanted to move to Caprica City to try to make it as a theater actress and I went with her. I joined the Caprica City Police Department and spent six years there before I took a job with the Colonial Line to work security on their liners."

"I think it was the right decision, you've obviously moved up in the ranks to head Security here on the _Olympica_."

She smiled, "It is better than what I could have hoped for when I was living in that studio apartment in Caprica City."

Cain gave her a look of intrigue, "I thought you were living in Caprica City with your friend."

"We were but at the time the best we could afford was a one bedroom apartment, and if you're _curious_ about sleeping arrangements…we shared a king-size bed."

Cain held up his hands as though he were trying to defend himself. "I wasn't going to imply anything, honest! So what about family back on Caprica?"

Briggs shook her head. "The career came first for me, and there wasn't a lot of time for me to develop any long-term relationships. I figured with the _Olympica_ posting I might try to find someone and if it was too late for me to have kids, then adoption was a serious option. Let me turn the tables on you, Mr. Secret Agent, what's your story?"

"I'm from Tauron and I'm one year younger than you are. I went to Temnos University in Caprica City and it was there that I was recruited to the MoI," Cain said.

"You're telling me you just walked up to their display table during Career Week and thought, 'You know what, I think a career in the field of covert intelligence is just what I was meant to do!'"

Cain laughed, "My grades put me in the top five percent of my class and that caught the MoI's attention. On top of that the director at the time was a friend of my parents and he got the ball rolling on my recruitment."

"I used to wonder if I should have gone to college, but I was so desperate to get away from my neighborhood…I have to ask, just how many people have you killed?"

Cain's eyes took on a mischievous glint, "A few but believe me they were all bad. Back to you, what was your roommate's name?"

"Jillian Walsh, she did some musicals and whatnot before realizing she was not going to make it in show business. She took a job at Athena Academy teaching drama. We stayed in touch and kept our friendship going, but when I took the job with the Colonial Line my time in Caprica City became less and less," Briggs said and this time there was a trace of regret in her voice.

"I have a meeting with Governor Rush in about an hour. I'm going to grab a bite to eat beforehand, do you want to join me?" Cain asked.

Briggs' first instinct was to decline but decided it would be nice to keep the conversation going, "I think that would be a good idea."

Hospital Ship _Solace_, Main Dining Room:

"Feels good to be able to walk more," Emily Tolan said as she sat down in a booth.

"You've come a long way since they brought you here," Daphne Sari said as she and Andrea Graystone took seats on the opposite side of the table.

"Just being able to get out of that room was an accomplishment; lately the walls were closing in on me."

"I think most people here can attest to that, you're in the same room day in and day out and it never changes," Andrea said.

"Lacey came by and told me she was heading out to the _Athena_ on the next transport," Emily said.

"Why would she do something like that? I'm sure the brass would give her all the time off she needs," Andrea replied. The confusion in her voice was obvious.

"She said there was going to be some sort of ceremony on the _Athena_ and as a part of the ship's crew she really needed to be there for it. I think she mentioned something about decommissioning."

"She's in shock as much as the rest of us," Sari said.

"You've help up better than I thought you would Em," Andrea admitted.

Emily let out a short laugh. "It hasn't been easy. I've spent so much time trying to convince myself that he's out there somewhere and he's alive and trying to find a way back here to me."

Andrea added, "Listen, I'm worried about you. Going by what Daphne has told me_,_ it seems the whole crew here on the _Solace_ is worried about you."

Emily put a hand up in protest. "I'm fine and I don't see how I can deal with this any differently than I have already."

"You put up these barriers as though you're trying to keep everything bottled up inside and that can't be healthy for you," Sari said.

"Daphne, you knew Scott for almost as long as I did and you served under him as a pilot too, so how are you holding up?" Emily said hoping she could turn the tables.

"When my shift ended and I went to my rack, I pulled the privacy curtain and cried my eyes out. Scott is a good man and it's hard to imagine they make officers like him nowadays. I'm devastated that he may be gone, and I'm not afraid to let people see it."

"I see, and what about you, Andie?" Emily asked her older sister to see what she would say.

"Combine pregnancy hormones with the loss of a man who was really like family to me and you know how I'm doing. Just thinking he may be gone is enough to make my eyes get watery. I'm going through hell even more than I was eight months ago."

Emily took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell you what I'll do. The chapel isn't too far from here so I'll go there and sit for a little while to collect my thoughts. When the two of you are done eating you can come find me."

"Are you sure you can make it by yourself?" Andrea asked.

"I'm going to have to, in more ways than one," Emily said as she stood up and walked out of the room. She was a bit disoriented but the grueling hours of physical therapy were paying off for her.

_**Olympica,**_** Luxury Suite A-52: **

"It's official; I am in love with the _Olympica_!"

Patel took in Wallace's excitement and laughed aloud. "It's what I thought, too; when I first stepped onboard; she really is a wonder of engineering."

"Not to mention the rooms are incredible to look at. I know I'm not big on material things but after spending the last eight months on Amasen I had forgotten what civilian comfort looks like," Wallace said as he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"You're really enjoying this, were you like this when you were with the MoI?"

Wallace shook his head, "I was much worse, I enjoyed the life of being a spy. There was never a dull moment!"

In truth, it was a lie but as far as Patel or anyone else should be concerned, he was proud to have been a part of the Ministry of Intelligence.

"Do I need to have someone bring over any items from the station?"

Wallace was going to request that some clothes and other items be brought over, but he considered the women on the station who probably still had it in for him and thought better of it. "I'll just get what I need from the stores here on the ship."

The phone on the table by the chair began to ring. "Hello?"

"Wallace, this is Admiral Kronus. I've thought our plan over and I want to tweak it a bit."

Wallace simply asked, "How so?"

"You and Miss Patel are going undercover as Mr. Giovanni Ferrari and his sister Augusta. I'll let the two of you work out the finer details of your cover but I think this will work better than 'William Savedge'."

"May I ask why?" Wallace asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.

"Because William Savedge has developed quite a reputation as an arms-dealer throughout the Colonies and was apparently heavily favored by the Erebea for their weapon purchases. That's not exactly the kind of respectable person we need for this operation."

"When you put it like that, there's no way I can argue with you!"

"I think we can work out the finer details tonight and then tomorrow we can put our plan into motion," Patel said as she opened the door to one of the suite's two bedrooms and opened it.

"I'm the MoI officer so that won't be too much of a challenge for me," Wallace said with his usual self-assured confidence.

"I love the confidence, it would be even better to see you back it up," Patel teased as she closed the door.

**One Hour, Thirty-Seven Minutes Later: **

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, Hangar Deck: **

The Raptor had been brought from the port flight pod of the _Stryker_'s hangar deck where it would normally have been docked. In the pilot's seat of the craft, Lieutenant Carmelo 'Melo' Conti went through his final checks as he powered the Raptor down.

"Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the _Stryker_," Townsend said to the two passengers sitting on the rear seat in the Raptor's aft compartment.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, that has to be one of the smoother rides I've had in a Raptor," Admiral Sakura said with a smile. She was glad to see the pilot's face brighten slightly at the compliment.

"You did well, Commander "Chiuske" Shimomura, Sakura's newly-appointed Chief-of-Staff, said. He had arrived on the _Helios_ once the _Athena _had been officially decommissioned in order to catch the Raptor over to the _Stryker_.

"Don't worry, Commander, you should be able to get some rest now that we're on our ship," Sakura said as she observed the officer's tired condition.

"Thank you, Admiral; it's been a very tiring past few days. Not to mention losing the _Athena_…" his voice trailed off as he thought of the ship that he had called home for some time.

"I know that had to have been hard for you but I ultimately think it was for the best," Sakura said though she was certain she would have felt different if it had been the _Helios_ that was slated to be broken up.

The Raptor's hatch opened to reveal the crew of the Stryker standing on the hangar ready for her arrival. She stepped out of the Raptor and as soon as her foot touched the deck she heard the call 'Admiral on deck!' and the crew stiffly came to attention.

"At ease," she called out.

"Admiral, welcome to the _Stryker_. It's an honor to have you onboard," Cyprian said with a smile as he saluted her.

She returned the salute and shook his hand, "Thank you Commander, it's an honor to have this ship as my flagship."

"Would you care to inspect the crew?" he asked.

She thought it over before shaking her head, "No need to at this time. When my staff and I are settled in then I will conduct an inspection. Instead, I want this ship ready for departure as soon as possible."

Cyprian nodded and then announced, "Crew dismissed, prepare the ship for departure!"

The crew began disperse and it was not long until it was Sakura, Shimomura, and Cyprian standing near the Raptor.

"If you would like I'd be happy to escort you to your quarters," Cyprian said as he motioned to a nearby hatch that led out of the hangar.

"I would appreciate it," Sakura replied and the three entered the hatch and began making their way towards the Admiral's Quarters, the new room she would call home.

"I have to ask, what condition is the admiral's quarters in?" Shimomura asked.

"To be honest with you, we were using it as an extra storage room for the last eight months. However, when word got out that the _Stryker_ was going to serve as a flagship we quickly cleaned it out and cleaned it up," Cyprian said.

"Exactly what were you storing there?" she asked even though she was almost afraid to.

"Just supplies for the living quarters, but I promise the deck gang did an outstanding job of getting the quarters for you and for your staff ready for use," Cyprian reassured her.

"What about the other flag facilities?" she asked.

"Once again we have taken the time to get them ready for your use. That actually wasn't all that hard, the area had been sealed up in the months leading up to the decommissioning so it was just a matter of unsealing it and making sure the equipment still worked."

Shimomura asked, "Why was it necessary to seal the room up?"

Cyprian gave a smile that implied he could not seriously do justice to what he was going to say, "In the days leading up to the _Stryker's _scheduled decommissioning there were two groups onboard, one from the Jonas Stryker museums on Aquaria and Picon. They were fighting over everything they could get their hands on and it wasn't getting any better for me. I finally had to call in the Marines and read the riot act but the Picon museum wanted the flag facilities for their museum and as such they left orders that the rooms were to be sealed and left as they were."

"How were you able to run the ship with all that craziness going on?" Sakura asked.

"It wasn't easy but I managed to make it happen, I knew going in that it would be different from other decommissioning jobs I've had but I had no idea that I was going to be the ringmaster of a circus."

After several more minutes of navigating the corridors of the battlestar they came to what was known as 'Flag Country', the area of the Stryker where Sakura and her staff would conduct operations for the battle group.

Cyprian entered a code on the keypad at the door marked 'Admiral's Quarters' and turned the handle to open the door, "Admiral Sakura, welcome to your quarters."

Sakura stepped in and she was surprised to find that the room looked spotless and could pass for being a brand new room on a recently commissioned ship, "After what you told me I'd have never thought that the room would look this immaculate. Whoever put the effort into it is bucking for promotion."

"I'll pass that along to Chief Knapp and his gang," Cyprian said before turning his attention to Shimomura, "Commander, if you'd follow me I'll show you to your quarters. I can assure you that as much care has been put into them as there was for Admiral Sakura's."

"Lead the way but something tells me that more attention was given to her accommodations than mine," Shimomura said teasingly.

"That comes with flag rank, you get treated a bit better than your fellow officers," Cyprian replied as he stepped out of the room and made his way down the corridor to the rooms that would house the personnel of Sakura's staff.

"If I may say, you have been surprisingly enthusiastic about all of this," Shimomura said.

Cyprian shrugged, "My world has been turned upside down several times over the last eight months so having to adjust to being the commanding officer of a flagship is just another adjustment I have to make."

"For what it's worth there were several reasons for selecting the Stryker as the task force's flagship. Out of the three battlestars yours is the newest and the one more known in the media just by its name alone," Shimomura said and he wondered if Cyprian had thought of these things.

"Here's to hoping we build a great public persona for the _Stryker_," Cyprian said as they came to a stop at the door marked 'Chief of Staff's Quarters'.

_**Solace**_**, Ship's Chapel: **

Emily had excused herself from her sister and friends so she could have a moment to herself to reflect on recent events. Having the Cylons destroy everything she knew from her old life was one thing but losing Scott was something all together different. She had always accepted the reality of being a military wife, and if she believed what the rumors, she was facing a reality she had always prayed she would never have to deal with.

She found a seat and looked up towards the chapel's altar. A part of her wanted to light a candle and say a prayer for her husband but she was not feeling quite up to doing that yet. Right now, she was content to be alone with her thoughts.

Reaching into her pocket, she fingered an object that Scott had brought over during one of his visits to her hospital room while she was unconscious. She pulled out a large ring and admired it as the memory of how she received it came back to her.

The ring was white gold with several jewels that made up the logo of the Canceron Hydras. The Tolan family had held a large stake of the team's ownership but the majority of shares were still owned by the team's principal owner. The ownership stake had passed down to Scott's aunt, Lydia Zeresi, and she had given the championship ring to Scott when the Hydras had won the Kobol Cup. When the idea of marriage had come up, Scott had given her the ring to use as an impromptu engagement ring until he could buy her a real one. Even after that, the ring held a sentimental value to her that was impossible to put into actual numbers.

"Mind if I join you?" a man's voice asked off to her side.

She looked and saw an older man in what appeared to be a business suit, "If you feel so inclined. Who are you?"

"George Grieg, I'm the _Solace_'s chaplain, and you are Emily Tolan. We haven't met but it seems most everyone knows who you are," Grieg said as he took a seat beside her.

"My family wasn't so sure if I should come here by myself but I was determined," she said feeling as though she could open up to the man.

"I take it since you awake, they've hovered over you like a Raptor," he commented.

She smiled, "Something like that, and with what happened to Scott it's become even worse. I know they care about me and all, but at times…"

"It seems as though they think you're incapable of being on your own. With all the turmoil in your life right now, I think it helps them to feel useful and in their own way cope with their own pain over what happened to Admiral Tolan."

She gave him an inquisitive look. "Are you also a psychologist of some sort?"

"Before I entered the priesthood I was a psychologist back on Libran."

"What was it that brought you to becoming a priest?"

"I had a crisis of faith after my wife left me and took our kids with her to parts unknown. I ranted and raved and finally when I was at my lowest I picked up the Sacred Scrolls and began to read. From there I found an inner peace I had not experienced before, I felt as though it had been put on my heart to leave my practice and enter the priesthood."

"Gods, all the praying I've done since Scott left for Ostarsis. I've prayed for his safety and then for his return. Now I find I'm praying for him to simply be alive out there because it gives me hope that I'll see him here in this world and not just the next."

"I appreciate that you haven't lost your faith like many have. I think my life was spared so I can combine my old life and my new one to not only give peace to those who seek it but also to explain to them that the Gods have not forsaken them."

"How do you put what we're going through into such a rosy context?" she asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

"This is a trial unlike any other, and when it's all over we will come through it stronger for having endured all the hardship we've had in our lives."

"Right," Emily said before deciding to change the subject, "I want to have a big cry over all this but I can't bring myself to. Every time I think about it, I feel like I need to keep it and be strong, as if my showing people the turmoil that's raging inside me is weakness of some sort."

"In my experience it's not a weakness to show the people who care you what you're feeling. It's not wrong for them to see that you're scared, angry, or any other emotion that you want to show."

"You really think it's that easy?"

"Absolutely, even if you say the truth of the matter is that you're not fine. You cannot start to heal and move on if you won't let anyone in. Your friends and family can't really be there for you if no one is allowed to see what you're feeling."

"I know you're right, but it's going to take time. I think it's going to be a long journey to get back to where I need to be," she said.

Grieg stood up and took her by the hand. "Come with me to the altar; we'll light a candle and say a prayer for Admiral Tolan."

To her surprise, she allowed him to lead her to the altar. "You think doing this is going to instantly make everything better?"

He shrugged. "Probably not, but as that old saying goes, 'Every journey begins with one step.'"

After lighting a candle at the altar, Emily got on her knees and she began to recite a prayer for her husband's safe return, "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayers…"

It was then that a tear began to form in her eyes before gently rolling down her cheek, followed by another, and then another until there was a steady stream coming from both her eyes. It was as though a reservoir was emptied as she began to give in to the emotions she had bottled up. There were no defenses now, and maybe it was the first step in the healing process.

_**Olympica**_**, Philip Van Horne Executive Suite: **

There was a section of _Olympica_'s A-Deck where some of the larger cabins were located. This section was known as the Executive Area and as such the cabin suites bore the title of 'Executive Suites' and were named after influential executives throughout the history of the Colonial Line. In the Philip Van Horne Suite, ceremony was taking place.

Reporters gathered around Governor David Rush, Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler, and a woman dressed in a fashionable business suit. One of the _Olympica_'s priests was also present and in his hands was a copy of the Sacred Scrolls. They were waiting patiently as a pair of technicians finished putting the assembling a microphone that had been added to the podium. When the signal was given, Rush stepped up to the podium as the reporters began to scribble notes and photographers began to take pictures.

"I want to thank all of you for coming out for this occasion," Rush said to the assembled reporters, "After much discussion with Lieutenant Governor Fowler and the Quorum of Twelve I have decided to create a civilian government.. I have appointed a person to serve as the Mayor of _Olympica_ and I believe that she is more than qualified for this particular job. Allow me to introduce Mayor Gloria Alonzo."

Rush stepped aside and Gloria Alonzo stepped to the podium and began to read from the notes she had prepared, "It was a great honor for me to accept Governor Rush's generous offer to serve as the Mayor of the _Olympica_. I understand that before the Cylons attacked that it had been suggested in the media that I was the one who actually ran my husband's administration in Caprica City."

The comment drew a few laughs as the reporters who had experience in Caprica City politics understood the reference. Gloria's husband, Hector Alonzo, had been the Mayor of Caprica City in the three years leading up to the fall of the Colonies. It had been said that she had been the one who really called the shots in his administration.

She continued with, "I understand that we are entering into uncharted territory, but after eight months of being on the run from the Cylons I suppose this has become the new normal for us. I hope that my administration will provide an example to the other ships in our fleet. We can show them they can form local governments that will give a voice to those who need someone to speak on their behalf and help take some of the weight off the shoulders of the Quorum. Know that I take my oath of office seriously and will conduct myself with the dignity that one would expect from a position such as this. Thank you."

The priest came over and held up the Sacred Scrolls. Gloria gracefully put her right hand on the book and raised her left hand. Solemnly she repeated the words that bore a strong resemblance to the Presidential Oath of Office.

"Allow me to shake your hand, Madame Mayor," the priest said as he offered his hand for Gloria to shake.

"Thank you," Gloria said as she shook the older man's hand.

"I want to thank all of you for coming out to cover this event," Rush said as he motioned for Gloria to move to the next room.

When she entered the room, Gloria could not help but smile. Waiting for her were her son Chris and her young daughter Louise waiting for her.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madame Mayor," Chris said as he walked up and gave his mom a hug. He had come a long way from the petulant young man he had been when they started out as passengers on the _Olympica_. Now he was very much the image of a Colonial Fleet officer.

Gloria spotted the other Colonial Fleet officer in the room and motioned her over. "How is my military advisor?"

Captain Jamie Hamilton smiled as she heard the title. "I'm surprised you offered me the positing but I'm excited."

"You were one of the few officers I had a history with and when I found out that you didn't have a posting I had to snatch you up before someone else did," Gloria said. She had met Jamie Hamilton when the young woman had been assigned to her husband's staff while he served as president of the civilians. Initially, she thought Jamie was sleeping with her husband; once she discovered that it was untrue, the two women became friends.

"Lacey said she would have loved to have been here but she was needed on the _Athena_," Chris said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"She's not like the other girls you used to bring home," Louise said. When she saw the shocked looks on the adults' faces she quickly added, "I heard Mom say that!"

"Well, I guess she was paying more attention to me than I realized…" Gloria said after she got over the initial embarrassment.

"It's not a problem, she actually is different from the girls I used to date," Chris said before adding, "I've been worried about her though. I don't know if the shock of what happened to Admiral Tolan has truly hit her yet."

"I worry about what's going to happen when it does," Hamilton said knowing how she felt when she finally came to grips to the fact that Captain Larsen 'Magic' Banks, her fellow pilot and boyfriend, had been shot down over Ostarsis with no idea as to whether he had survived or not.

"I have to wonder if he's still alive," Gloria said.

"From what I've heard is that there is proof that the _Colossus_ did survive to make it to the Ragan System but after that is where things get iffy," Chris added.

"At least you'll be there for her when it happens. If she gets bereavement leave you should bring her over there to the _Olympica_; I'd enjoy getting to know her better," Gloria said with a look that implied it was something other than a suggestion.

_**Olympica**_**, E-Deck, Gemenese Restaurant Nuada: **

Quorum delegates Brooke Bowman of Caprica, Marian Sanders of Aquaria, and Alfred Newton of Picon sat in a booth where they hoped they could talk privately.

"Do you think Gilliam has something up her sleeve?" Sanders asked.

"If there's one thing I've come to expect from Aurelia Gilliam is that she is always trying to plan ahead," Newton said.

Brooke shrugged. "I'm sure she has something planned but it's hard to tell. I have to give her credit though; she knows how to play to a crowd."

"She has a flair for the dramatic, but that's about all I'll give her credit for," Sanders said.

"She's convinced she's doing what's best for the fleet but I think sometimes she lets her personal feelings get in the way," Newton said.

"I navigated my way with the teachers' union on Caprica. If I can handle that, then Aurelia Gilliam won't be too much trouble," Brooke said.

"Where did you teach?" Sanders asked.

"Wilson Elementary in Caprica City, I was one of the leaders of the union there. We knew we were courting trouble with Adar when we went on strike, but it was necessary. My husband worried about something happening to me."

Newton nodded his head in agreement. "He had good reason to be worried; Adar has used the military before to put down protests."

"I couldn't allow myself to be intimidated by that, and as the leader of my union I was going to see it through to the end," Brooke said as she remembered the many arguments that her and Artimus had over her involvement. While he tried to be supportive, he could not help but worry about what would happen when Adar brought the big guns to bear on the teachers.

"Now that I think about it, we might as well head back to the conference room and resume the meeting," Sanders said and she was happy to see the other two agree with her.

Several minutes later, they had entered the Jarrell Conference Room.

"I was wondering where the two of you were," Peter Halle said to the three when they were within view.

"We went for a bite to eat, but after dealing with Aurelia we found we didn't exactly have much of an appetite," Sanders said.

"Speaking of Aurelia she hasn't returned yet, I think if she takes much longer I'll send one of my aides to go retrieve her," Halle said, unaware that his comment was causing Brooke, Sanders, and Newton to laugh.

They were about to turn the corner when they felt a large, deafening explosion from inside the conference room. The shockwave from the blast sent the shrapnel-like splinters down the hallway causing further human harm. The four members of the Quorum were thrown to the deck and managed to avoid being injured but the fall to the floor was so violent they were knocked unconscious. All around them was damage unimaginable on a ship such as the _Olympica_.


	5. Chapter 5: Hunter and Prey

**Chapter Five: Hunter and Prey**

_**Olympica**_**, Nasmus Lounge:**

The pictures and paintings of the colony of Scorpia on the dark-wood paneled walls gave the the _Olympica's_ Nasmus Lounge the feel as though it was situated in a picturesque area of the Demeter Jungle. To help add to the jungle theme the Colonial Line had a soundtrack of ambient sounds playing. A mix of river water running, birds chirping, and other such noises were on a continuous loop. The lounge's bar also served a variety of Scorpia liquors and even after eight months the manager felt no need to change the policy and include drinks from other colonies.

Amid the bustle of activity of the patrons few would have been bothered to notice the two men chatting in a corner that was away from where most of the crowd had gathered. If any of them had been able to hear the hushed conversation being carried on between them then there would have been first a sense of shock followed by one of horror at what was being planned.

One of the men, a dark-skinned man of Gemenese descent, looked nervous as he talked to his companion. The other person at the table had a sort of cool detachment as he heard the conversation. It was impossible to tell if the man in the exquisite Caprican suit either expected to hear what was being told to him or simply did not care.

"It has been done," Henri Faustin said when he felt certain there were no prying ears near the table where he and Dante Solis were sitting.

Solis could not help but smile. "Excellent, I take it that the entire Quorum has been wiped out."

Faustin nodded. "The news coming out has been somewhat hectic but if they have not all been eliminated then the majority are dead."

"That's one part of this operation taken care of. Now it's time for you to move on to the next part of my plan, but this one may be require more thought and planning on your part, because if you don't get it right the first time then I doubt there will be a second opportunity."

Faustin's gaze remained stony as he said, "Fear not, Mister Solis. When the time is right I will personally make sure that David Rush is dead."

"Excellent," Solis said as he took a sip of his drink, "I look forward to seeing the results of your next mission. Speaking of your mission, I want to do something different."

Faustin hesitated for a moment. "What would you have me do?"

Solis motioned with his hand for Faustin to take a seat, "Normally I would say leave the survivors alone but this day and age there is no telling how much power they could have with the public, especially with that damn sympathy vote. I want you to eliminate all of them and then when that's done I want you to go after Rush. For now lay low and find out who in particular has survived, then I will be happy to give you the order in which I want them eliminated. Better yet, now is the perfect time to execute Operation Tselios

Faustin queried, "What will happen to you?"

Solis was quiet for a moment before he said, "I have made arrangements to disappear until the time is right. You and the rest of the people involved will strike a blow for the cause that will go a long way toward achieving our ultimate goal."

"If I do not make it out of this then know that serving you has been the honor of my life," Faustin said before he stood up and left the room. He knew Solis would have nothing more to say; he was not exactly a man who would express sentimental statements at a time like this.

Solis watched Faustin leave and he allowed himself to smile. The old adage about good help being hard to find was certainly true. The man had served him well, and had proven to be adept at finding new recruits for his cause. There were plenty among the survivors who were disillusioned with life and felt as though they had nothing to lose. Then there were those who were had fallen through the cracks thanks to ineffectual background checks.

He took his mobile phone out of his pocket and sent a message to his most valued contact in his network of informants. The Watcher was someone he knew he could count on for reliable intelligence, and the information given about the raid on his ship, the Jauron, had allowed him to escape with most of his people and almost all of the weaponry he had stored. As for how getting them over to the Jauron he felt fortunate that even in a time when humanity was fighting for its life there were still those who would let personal greed triumph.

'The Quorum was bombed, is the time right to launch?' Solis said quietly as he read the messaged he had typed.

He took a sip from his drink, the brown colored liquor made its way down the glass and into his mouth. He recalled that the brand name on the bottle read 'Toria's Finest' and as he savored the burn of the drink as it went down his throat he had to admit it lived up to the quality its name implied. He knew that before the Cylons attacked he wanted to destroy Colonial society but with that already done now as his chance to take charge of the survivors and implement his vision for what their society should have been all along.

The phone beeped that he had received a message. He clicked on the button to open the message and saw that it read 'Now is the time.'

That was all he needed to hear. Throughout their association he still had no idea who the watcher was. They communicated through text messages but after all this time he had yet to hear The Watcher's voice. He did not even know if the person shared the same goal as he did. From the time he became disillusioned with Colonial society he had been firmly convinced that the decadent culture needed to be changed and taken back to a simpler time before technology had come along to bring its corruption to the people. He was not a believer in the gods, but he did feel a sense of thankfulness that fate had spared him the destruction of the Cylons so that he could carry out his singular goal of taking the remnants of society to a planet where they could abandon their sophisticated technology and achieve a purer form of living.

He sent out a message to the mobile phones of his operatives that read, 'Tselios is ready' and he smiled at what was to come. He could stay out of the initial fight but the thought of being there on the front lines as his people fought was going to be too much of a temptation for him. He had come to think of what was about to come as 'Judgment Night' and to him it was a very appropriate title. It was going to be a night of judgment for either him or those in power.

**Battlestar **_**Achilles**_**, CIC: **

The Combat Information Center on the Battlestar _Achilles_ was quiet since the aftermath of its fall to the Cylons over forty years ago. In the room were two people who had the job of making sure all of the battlestar's systems were properly shut down upon its arrival in the mobile drydock _Vestal_. Commander Benjamin Adar and Colonel Shauna Willis looked at the stations that required to be checked before main power could be transferred from Main Engineering of the _Achilles _to the _Vestal_.

In its brief time back in the Colonial Fleet there had been those who served on the ship or even stepped onto its deck for a visit that swore the ship was haunted. There had been reports of a general unease while on board, some claiming that it was as though there was some unseen presence watching them go about their duties. The discovery of the veteran battlestar along with these reports of the ship being seemingly haunted had given the _Achilles _the nickname of 'The Ghost'.

"The first time I stepped onto the hangar deck I thought to myself 'This bucket looks even more wore out than the_ Athena_!', but after a while I began to take a certain pride in her antiquated look," Willis said as she walked over to Command and Control to put down her checklist.

"When I found out I was being made the Commanding Officer, my first thought was whether or not I had pissed Admiral Tolan off during my brief tour as XO on the _Victorious_," Adar said as he reached down and produced two glasses and a bottle of an amber colored liquid.

"I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk about it, but do you think he's really dead?" Willis asked.

"I honestly don't know but if I had my way he wouldn't be. I know it may sound crazy but I learned a lot from him on how to command. I thought it was crazy when I got moved to XO, but I was going to make the most of it," Adar said as he poured the liquid into the two glasses and handed one to Willis.

"What is it?" she asked as she held the glass to her nose to get a scent of the liquid.

"Hisarlik Whiskey, I picked it up during that visit to Libran we made."

Willis thought about it. "That was when the _Vic_ went for its post-overhaul shakedown, right?"

Adar nodded. "One and the same, and truthfully I had been saving it for a special occasion and this seemed as good as any."

"Is there something that makes this occasion so special?" she asked.

"We took a Cylon War era battlestar into a heated battle with the Cylons and we managed to escape with our lives and our ship still intact. I don't know if you remember but this ship was already damaged and hopelessly outdated compared to the other ships in the fleet when we found her. Even the _Athena_ had been modernized over the course of its career. I also believe we acquitted ourselves as the CO and XO of this fine ship," Adar said and then he held up his glass, "To my XO and the crew of the _Achilles_, may fortune continue to favor us."

"To my Commanding Officer and the fine ship he commands, may the _Achilles_ continue to be blessed by the gods," Willis said and then she clinked glasses with him and took a sip of her drink.

"What do you think?"

"It's got more of a burn than I thought it was going to have," she admitted and then she sat the glass down and looked around the CIC, "How do you think she'll look after the modernization is done?"

"She'll be as much of an asset as the _Victorious_ and the other modern battlestars, I think she'll be a mix of classic and modern when it's all said and done. That goes for the interior and exterior, we could return to find the_ Achilles_ a completely different ship from the one we're standing in right now."

"What do you think of the rumors that the ship is haunted? Think about what happened in this very room during the Battle of Cosmora. We are standing where Commander Rigel watched as his ship fell to the Cylons and he ordered the jump out past the Red Line so the Cylons couldn't use his ship against the Fleet. I've wondered if an event like that leaves its mark on more than a physical level."

Adar thought about his response before he said, "I think that if there are ghosts on this ship, they see how their ship is being used and are glad that it's in the fight against the Cylons. I'm sure they see what we're doing as exacting revenge against the Cylons and giving meaning to their sacrifice."

"When you put it like that, I'd rather go with what you said instead of thinking that the ghosts are like the ones my older sister made me watch with her when I was in elementary school. I think she took pleasure in giving me nightmares! With the way you put phrased it, I think you have your father's gift for speaking."

"Thanks, I know my father was no friend of the military but he was proud of me for making a go of it as a Viper pilot. He always said that people tried to spin it as him using me as a campaign tool for his election, but I could tell he was genuinely proud of me. My Uncle John was the same way; he was a career Fleet officer and made sure he pinned my Viper wings on me when I graduated from Abry and had finished my training."

"I never recall you mentioning your uncle. Do you know if he survived the Cylon attack?"

Adar shrugged. "I can speculate but I stay hopeful about it. Unfortunately, I know my parents died in the attack. Strange as it may sound, I drew strength from that when I was starting to feel weak. I know there are a lot of high-minded ways I could phrase why I want to fight the Cylons, but when you get to the bottom of it old-fashioned revenge seems to be as good of a reason as any."

"You won't hear me complain about that, my family was home on Aquaria. They had moved to Port Leopold to be closer to my sister and her husband. My sister and brother-in-law were expecting their first child and my parents wanted to be close by when their first grandchild was born. I don't know for sure that they died but as heavy as our losses were; I haven't exactly had a reason to be optimistic. I know you're an Abry man and I went to Aquaria Military but I think we are both using revenge as our driving force against the Cylons."

"We're going to be on the sidelines for the next few months as they work on _Achilles,_ but when our ship is ready to join the fight again I know we'll be able to inflict some pain on the Cylons."

"I'm sure the workers are going to take good care of her," Willis said before adding in a teasing voice, "If they don't then you can use that tone of voice your father used on his opponent during the last presidential debate."

"The Adar Anger, he only used that if he was dealing with a person he didn't like, and I knew it was going to come out when he faced Harold Alban. After all the years of being political rivals it was safe to say he really didn't like the man."

"Yeah that kind of came across during the debates…seeing as how we've finished making sure everything is in order, I think it's time we caught our Raptor over to the _Olympica_. It's going to be interesting working at Fleet Command," Willis said as she downed the rest of her drink and passed the glass over to Adar.

He took the put the lid back onto the bottle and finished the contents of his own glass, "I suppose nowadays that's the equivalent of shore duty. We'll secure these in my quarters and then Boxer can fly us over to the _Olympica_."

As they walked out of the CIC Willis teased him by saying, "Don't forget to turn the lights out."

Adar rolled his eyes, "Yes Aunt Renee, I'd hate to drive the power bill through the roof."

Willis turned and faced him, "Your aunt, she was the one the Erebea and the Sagitarron Liberation Army kidnapped."

Adar nodded, "That was a little over six years ago if I remember correctly. My Uncle John offered to lead the task force that was sent to rescue her but my dad wouldn't hear of it. He said something about having one sibling in trouble was bad enough but putting both of his siblings in a dangerous situation was something he couldn't allow."

"Do you know if any of them survived?" Willis asked and a part of her was afraid to put the question to him.

"In complete honesty I have no idea. Dad sent my uncle on some mission that required him to be gone for a while and my aunt was making an appearance on Picon to help quell some of the discontent among the teachers in Gray."

"Do you think she was going to be given a tour of the MoI's headquarters?" Willis asked. Gray served as the headquarters for the Ministry of Intelligence and the intelligence agency usually arranged for a dignitary visiting the city to tour their facility in an attempt to improve their image among the public.

Adar laughed, "It was probably on her agenda, she would always tell me that she found the MoI to be a fascinating group."

"I know what you mean, especially when I think of all those spy movies involving the mysterious Ministry of Intelligence, I wonder if the lives of their operatives are anywhere near that exciting."

Adar shook his head, "It's probably exaggerated to a ridiculous degree, but it does make for a great movie."

**Olympica, Jarrell Conference Room:**

The scene around what had been the Jarrell Conference Room was something more akin to a war zone than an executive conference room. Rubble from the destroyed walls and fixtures was strewn about, mixing in with the remains of those unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast. The oxygen in the air fed the fires caused by the explosions and it caused them to grow in heat and intensity until they finally triggered the fire system. The sprinklers undamaged by the explosion began to cascade water onto the deck below in an effort to extinguish the flames and large metal fire doors slammed down in order to keep the flames from spreading. Amazingly enough, was the fact that in this hellish scene of death there were in fact a small group of survivors.

Brooke Bowman slowly regained consciousness, turned her head to the left, and saw that Marian Sanders was groaning in pain but was very much alive. She turned her to the right and saw that Alfred Newton's head bent at an odd angle with his lifeless eyes seemingly staring at her.

"Is anyone alive?" Peter Halle asked as he struggled to move from where he lay.

"I'm here," Sanders said.

"Me too," Brooke said and felt relief that she was able to find her voice.

"Is there anyone alive out there?" a man's voice called out from somewhere off in the distance.

"There are three of us alive here," Brooke called out. As she tried to sit up, her body was wracked with pain all over. She tried to find something to compare it to but nothing came to mind.

"Stay there, I'm coming to get you," the man said. Over the noise, she could hear what sounded like wood and metal being moved out of the way.

"Little Tank, you check on the other two and see if they can be moved," he said and it was then that he hovered over her body, "Stay still for now, as soon as we can get these doors to open we'll move you and your friends out of here."

"Who are you?" Brooke asked, her voice sounding not quite like it normally would.

"Arthur Wallace. Over there is my friend Derrek Robinson but we all call him 'Little Tank'. Who are you?"

"Brooke Bowman, I'm the Caprican delegate to the Quorum," she said. As she spoke, she felt her mind starting to slip into unconsciousness.

"Whoa, stay with me…" Wallace said and then he asked, "So Brooke, mind if I ask if you're married or not?"

"I have a husband…his name is Artimus…commands the Battlestar _Hermes_…what about you?"

"Let's not worry about my relationship status, let's just classify it as 'Complicated' and leave it at that. You said you represent Caprica, what did you do when you lived there?"

Brooke blinked her eyes as if she was trying to focus, "School teacher…Wilson Elementary…where are you from, Arthur?"

"Aquaria, but I worked in the import/export business so you know what that meant…lots of travelling for me and my people. Your husband commands a battlestar…does that mean he has friends in high places?"

"You ask a lot of questions," she said. Her voice sounded slurred, as though she could easily give in to the darkness that seemed to want to take a hold of her.

"I'm a naturally inquisitive person; some say it's a character flaw. Little Tank, how are those two?" he asked to the man off in the distance.

"They're going to be okay if we get them some help soon, looks mostly superficial but there's no telling. How is your new friend?"

Wallace knew that if he said what he really thought about Brooke's condition, it could make the situation worse. "She's got minor wounds, nothing I'd be concerned with."

"Better get her some medical help, just in case," Robinson said.

"You should take that advice too. It looks as if you got pierced with some shrapnel from the explosion," Wallace said. Little Tank had taken more than few shards of wood and metal to his legs and torso, but like Wallace, any thought of trying to get help was superseded by the need to aid the survivors. As he had it figured, Little Tank had gone ahead of the group and it made more sense for him to have been injured in some way.

"Once they're tended to; I'll let the doc have a look at me," Robinson said.

It was at about that time that the doors to the corridor slid open and an emergency response team from Medical entered.

"We have wounded over here," Wallace called out.

"How many?" a woman's voice asked.

"We have four, maybe five wounded and one fatality," Wallace said.

The woman led the response team to where the group was located and began giving orders to the med techs. Like a well-oiled machine, the techs began to stabilize the wounded and tend to their injuries as best they could.

"Okay, people, let's get the wounded to Medical ASAP!" the woman called out; then she turned to Robinson. "Are you going to be able to make it on your own?"

Robinson nodded. "I'll be fine. You lead and I'll follow."

"Fine but no heroics. If you think you're not going to make it, let me know right away," she said to him and her tone of voice left no room for doubt about how serious she was.

"I'll stay here and help tend to the wounded, I received medical training from my employers," Wallace said.

"I doubt it would be good enough to help with trauma such as this." As she stared at his right leg she said, "You also have a decent-sized piece of wood sticking out of your leg."

Wallace looked down and saw a shard of wood sticking out of his pants where the pocket was. He reached in and saw that the shard had embedded itself in Admiral Stryker's journal. It had probably gone through his pants leg while he was traversing the wreckage of the conference room to get to the other side.

"It hit a book I was carrying; thankfully these pants have deep pockets," Wallace said in a tone that he hoped would lighten the mood.

"If you were too close to the blast then you may have internal injuries that need to be tended to. Now that I think about it, where were you given medical training?"

"I was with the Ministry of Intelligence. It was a standard course at The Ranch," Wallace said. 'The Ranch' was the unofficial nickname for the facility out on the plains of Leonis where the Ministry of Intelligence sent its newly recruited agents for training.

"Import/Export business, eh?" Brooke said from the gurney she had been loaded onto.

"I can explain…" Wallace said, but the gurney Brooke was lying on had been moved out of earshot.

"What's your name?" the woman in charge of the response team asked.

"Arthur Wallace…and you are?"

"Janine Moreau, I'm the Lead Med Tech of the _Olympica_'s Emergency Response Team. And now, Mister Wallace, I want to let you know that if you find yourself in Medical because of an injury you hid from me, I will be very unhappy and I will find a way to share my unhappiness with you," she said as she moved in close enough so that only he could hear her.

"When you put it like that, how can I not understand," Wallace said as he hoped he really did not have some kind of injury that needed to be tended to.

"Good, there are more teams on the way to assist and if you think you can lend a hand then you're more than welcome to," Moreau said before turning her attention to her med techs, "Let's get these people moved to Medical!"

With the emergency response teams beginning to move into the area he made his way back to where the conference room had been. Perhaps there was a chance that someone was still alive. It was a slim hope but he felt it was better to hang onto that thought.

Somewhere on the other side of the room, the other two Robinson brothers were undoubtedly searching for survivors. Fortunately, both David 'Heavy' Robinson and Darrell 'Tank' Robinson were here on _Olympica_ with him. If there was danger about, he felt more reassured about his safety knowing that they were there.

"Heavy and Tank, are there any survivors?" he called out.

"We found a few; the response teams are tending to them," Tank called out.

"How's Little Tank?" Heavy asked.

"He got dinged in the explosion but I think he'll be fine. He's been taken to Medical to be evaluated," Wallace said.

"I guess this means we won't be meeting our Quorum representative after all," Tank said dryly.

"I know we could have been killed in this explosion if we had been here sooner, but that is kind of funny," Heavy said and the three men managed a short laugh.

"Let's go meet with Governor Rush, I think the longer we stay here, the more likely we are to just be in the way," Wallace said.

"I agree, he's going to want to know about this," Tank said.

"This could be the beginning of something bad," Heavy offered.

Wallace nodded. "Now that I think about it, it's probably a better idea for us to go meet with Admiral Kronus. I know that if this is some sort of attempted coup or terrorist attack then he's as much of a target as Governor Rush is."

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, Flag CIC:**

"Jump has been completed," Lieutenant Celestine Corday announced from Tactical.

"Excellent," Admiral Naomi Sakura said before turning her attention to Communications. "Mister Kendrick, connect me to Commander Cyprian."

"Right away, ma'am," Ensign Luther Kendrick said as he opened a communications channel between Sakura and Cyprian.

"Admiral Sakura, I take it you're calling to tell me you have a plan," Commander Jerome Cyprian said. As the Commanding Officer of the _Stryker,_ Cyprian's place was in the ship's CIC while Sakura directed the battle group from the Flag CIC.

"I read your reports and saw that you tapped a Cylon communications buoy in this area. Do you know if the tap was discovered?"

There was a pause before Cyprian said, "According to Communications that tap was never discovered. Do you have a plan for it?"

"If we can access the buoy, we can figure out the Cylon movements and coordinate a plan of attack. At least, that should give us a starting point," Sakura said.

"Are you sure that's the way you want to proceed? Wouldn't you rather just go where we encountered the Cylons before and work from those areas?"

"That is a surefire way to invite disaster; I'd rather take the time to prepare a strategy instead of going off into the unknown. Get me the data from the buoy and I'll let you know when I'm ready to meet with you and the other two commanders," Sakura said before she placed the receiver back into its cradle.

"Do you think we'll get anything of value?" Commander Chiuske Shimomura, Sakura's Chief of Staff, asked.

"If the Cylons haven't discovered that the buoy is tapped then we might get an intelligence gold mine that we can exploit. Besides, I think getting even the smallest bit of intelligence is better than having none at all to work with," she said.

"If you don't mind my saying, I don't think the crew trusts us just yet."

Sakura had to admit her curiosity was piqued. "You have any evidence to back that up?"

Shimomura moved in so that only she could hear him. "It's the way they act around us, as though they have some sort of guard up. You're the flag officer here and I know that most of them would give you a wide berth since you have just come on board recently, but this is different."

Sakura thought it over. "For the past eight months they've been on their own, thinking they were the only survivors of the Colonial Fleet. Perhaps it's all new to them to find that a larger group survived and they are still trying to decide what to make of us."

Shimomura shook his in disgust. "It was not that long ago when we were not only part of the Colonial Fleet but we would be on the same side and not have issues. Did the Cylons change us that much?"

"They may very well have; everything we knew before has been practically tossed away and we're starting anew while still trying to hold on to what we can of our past. I know it's not the ideal situation but I think in time we'll gain the trust of the crew and maybe even once again act as though we're all on the same side. To be honest with you, right now it feels like we're two countries grudgingly working together against a common enemy."

_**Olympica**_**, Icefish Grille: **

"The tables are a bit full; mind if we join the two of you?" Mitchell Cain asked the two officers sitting at the table overlooking the plaza.

"We wouldn't mind the extra company," the man said as he motioned for both Cain and Karin Briggs to take the two remaining seats.

"Thank you…" Briggs said as she left the end of her comment open for introductions.

"I'm Major Mark Hunter and this," Hunter said with a theatrical motion of the hand, "Is Captain Alisa Stark. We are both pilots from the _Ark Royal_; we were just having a drink with Leon Delroy until someone who he said was his agent pulled him away from us. Now it's your turn."

"I'm Karin Briggs and my companion is Mitchell Cain; we were taking a break from our work and thought we'd get something to eat," Briggs said as she and Cain took their seats.

"What kind of work do you do?" Hunter asked.

"I work for _Olympica_ Security; we're the police force here on the _Olympica_. It's our job to keep you safe while you're a guest on the ship."

"That's a big job nowadays, how does the boss handle it?" Stark asked.

Briggs smiled. "Oh she handles it well enough; she has a lot of great people working for her."

"From the way you're talking I take it that you would be the boss," Hunter said.

Briggs gave him a nod. "That's correct. I was placed in charge of the Security division three months before tickets for the maiden voyage went on sale. That gave me time I needed to personally vet every person who works for me."

"Your turn, Cain; what do you do?" Stark asked.

"Me…I work for the government and at present I'm a consultant with _Olympica_ Security," he said.

"Sounds like an important job," Hunter said and then he asked, "What did you do before the Cylons attacked?"

Cain thought it over for a moment and then said, "I worked for the government then too."

He was going to say more when his mobile phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He knew _Olympica_ had its own phone network, but the number had not been used in some time. "If you would be kind enough to excuse me."

When he was outside the restaurant, he hit the 'Accept' button and put the phone to his ear. "Who is the stranger calling me?"

"Mister Cain, forgive me for not meeting with you face to face. It's sort of an occupational hazard. I heard you were looking for me. The attack on my ship was really uncalled for."

Cain's heart raced at that last piece of information. "Dante Solis, how did you know to reach me at this number?"

"I have sources at my disposal; that's really all you need to know."

"The Watcher," Cain said matter-of-factly.

"A useful person when you're in my line of work. Cain, I'll be the first to admit that I admire you and your work. A pity I did not have the chance to recruit you to my side before the Cylons attacked. If we had been allies in another life, you would have made an excellent criminal."

"Where are you?"

Solis chuckled. "Someplace safe where you cannot find me, not that you'll have much of a chance to do that."

"You realize that I'm not going to stop until I've brought you to justice or killed you, whichever option seems the best one at the time."

"I have to ask, are you sure you're going to be able play this game on my level? I'm afraid you're going to lose," Solis shot back.

"You do realize you're trapped here. The only way you can contact me by phone is to be here on the _Olympica_. The traffic coming to and from the ship has been put on hold until you are stopped. Even your friend The Watcher cannot get you out of this trap. What do you have to say about that?"

"I will say this; you are perhaps the one adversary who most reminds me of myself."

Cain snorted with derision, "Solis, you and I are nothing alike."

Solis chuckled, "Of course we are! You and I are both killers. It's just that I kill for power while you kill for peace. We are two sides of the same coin; each of us heroes to our own causes. Think about that before you answer."

"Enough trying to play games with my mind. I am going to hang up. I want you to know that I am going to do everything in my power to bring you to justice and there is nothing you can do stop me. I will use all of my training to bring you down once and for all!"

"I see there's no other place for this conversation to go. It's time for you to get a taste of the power I can still wield. When this contest between us is over and the clock has stopped ticking we will see who the winner is. When the end has arrived…we'll see who gets the parade."

Cain was going to respond but the call ended. He had a bad feeling about what Solis' next move was going to be. He did not want to admit it but the man had struck a nerve with his comment about how they were both killers but from different sides of the coin. In his time with the Ministry of Intelligence, he believed that all the people he killed were a part of the master plan to keep the Colonies safe. Even now with the worlds destroyed, he was still plying his trade in order to keep the government from being toppled by men like Solis.

He walked back inside and took a seat. "Sorry about that; had a business call that I needed to answer."

"Anyone in particular?" Briggs asked.

Cain shook his head. "Nothing that can't wait until we've had a decent meal."

"So, according our friend Archangel," Briggs said with a motion of her head towards Hunter, "his friend was practically hanging off of Leon Delroy. It sounds to me as though she smitten with the man."

Hunter was about to say something but the window exploded from the impact of the bullets that had been fired into it. The four of them went to the ground in time to avoid being hit by the volley of gunfire that was aimed in their direction.


	6. Chapter 6: Judgment Night

**Chapter Six: Judgment Night**

The occupants of the table quickly fell to the floor the moment the glass shattered. Fortunately for them, the shooters were not going for accuracy; otherwise they would have been cut down in the opening barrage.

"What the frak was that?" Captain Alisa Stark asked.

"I think someone is either gunning for us or they were not fond of the special here at the restaurant," Major Mark Hunter quipped.

"Did the two of you bring your sidearms with you?" Mitchell Cain asked Hunter and Stark.

"Sorry about that, we checked them in once we boarded," Hunter said.

"I know that was my policy, but now I'm kicking myself," Karin Briggs commented as she began to move toward where the wall where the windows had been.

"Let's get over there," Cain said and the three of them began to crawl towards Briggs.

"I think she and I have spare weapons," Cain said as he reached into his ankle holster and removed a pistol that he promptly handed to Hunter.

"Here you go, Stark," Briggs said as she also removed a spare pistol and passed it to the pilot.

There was a commotion as a man approached the group. Cain saw that the man wore a black military style uniform with silver epaulets that marked him as a flag officer. He recognized the man and instantly knew that he was more than just that.

"Magnus Ah-Mun, how nice of you to join us," Cain said to the new arrival.

"Eastern Alliance…" Stark said, somewhat stunned.

"Yes, we are more than some myth like Adar said we were," he said. He motioned for two of his people to come to where they were. However, bullets cut them down before they had a chance to make to make it.

"Damn it, I may have to hold another recruiting drive before this is over!" Magnus said as he got to his feet, raised his sidearm, and fired toward the group that had killed his people.

Cain looked up and saw that two of the shooters now lay on the deck and showed no signs of life. "You're a good shot."

"Even after several ambrosia's I'm as good of a shot as any," he said as he ducked.

Several more rounds came through the section of wall where they were hiding, as well as above them to impact with the bar.

"We need to get away from here and toward the Governor's office; they may try to assassinate him," Briggs said as she got on her knees to fire a few rounds at the shooters, who had now taken cover behind the overturned tables in the plaza.

"Hey, Lucie, are you still here?" Magnus shouted after another volley of gunfire had strafed the bar.

"I'm here," Lucie Marais, the bartender on duty, said from where she had crouched behind the bar.

"It would seem we're not getting through the front door; is there another way out of here?"

"There's a service corridor at the rear of the kitchen," she called out in a voice that hid most of the fear she was feeling at that moment.

"That's our way out then," Magnus said and it was then that he began to move toward the bar.

"Cain, let's cover their retreat to the bar," Hunter said.

Cain nodded his head. "I think between the two of us we can keep their heads down; just remember that we need to conserve ammo."

"Got it," Hunter said it was then that he used his fingers to count down from three to one.

After the count of 'One' the two got up and began firing toward the overturned tables where the shooters had taken refuge. By now, the plaza had been deserted and only the bodies of the dead were there to witness the gunfight. As the two men provided the distraction, the two women began to make their way to the bar. Both Hunter and Cain took steps back as they fired so that they could cover their own retreat.

"Good work, gentlemen," Magnus said once they had made it to the bar.

"Take me with you," Marais said.

"If we leave her here then she's going to die," Briggs said.

"Yes, Ms. Briggs, I'm well aware of that. I was already planning to take her with us, I may be a pirate but even I have my standards," Magnus said somewhat more heatedly than he had intended.

The six made their way through the now-empty kitchen toward the rear of the room where there was a large door with 'Service Corridor' stenciled on it. Marais quickly entered the key code on the number pad and the door swung open.

"Let's get moving before those shooters grow a brain and try to storm the place," Cain said.

One by one, they entered the corridor with Hunter being the last one out. He shut the door and Marais was right there to lock the door back with the numerical password.

"Let's get to Governor Rush before it's too late," Magnus said as he took out a device that looked like a mobile phone and quickly hit the keys as though he was sending a message.

"At a time like this you want to send out a text message?" Briggs asked with as much credulity as she could manage.

"I'm sending word out to my people still on this ship to meet us at the Governor's offices, they are to offer their assistance in keeping him safe," Magnus said.

"Oh, good thinking," Briggs quickly said.

"Let's get moving," Cain said. As the group made its way down the corridor he thought to his conversation with Dante Solis, the man had the audacity to call him and essentially taunt him before trying to kill him. The man was either fearless or crazy. He realized that either one made him more dangerous than he had previously thought.

**Admiral Kronus' Office:**

Wallace heard the gunshots off in the distance as he neared Kronus' office. Whatever was happening here on the _Olympica_ it was obviously something not good, "All right, guys; let's double time it to Kronus."

"Wait for me!" a woman's voice called out from behind them.

The three turned to see Carmen Bayonet, a member of Wallace's group of assassins, running towards him.

"Carmen, where have you been?" Wallace asked.

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter, and right now there are men with guns coming this way. They're shooting everyone in sight."

Tank looked at her and saw her arm was bleeding. "Did they hurt you badly?"

Bayonet shook her head, "It's just a graze; it hurts, but it's just a graze."

"We're heading to meet with Kronus; someone just blew up the Quorum of Twelve."

"Actually they blew up most of the Quorum. I think three or four survived," Heavy added.

"To be more exact they blew up most of the Quorum, but right now we need to get to Kronus' office," Wallace said.

"Arthur, hurry up; we're about to seal the door," a woman's voice called out from down the corridor.

Wallace looked and saw Nirmala Patel waving him to hurry to where she was.

"Like I said people, let's get moving!" Wallace shouted as he, Tank, Heavy, and Bayonet made a dash for the door.

"I was wondering where you were," she said when Wallace and his people reached her, "Come in, we'll do introductions once the door is closed.

There was a group of ten Marines huddled near the door and they eyed the newcomers with suspicion. Wallace began to wonder if they would have gotten this far if Patel had not been there to facilitate things.

"Seal the door!" one of the Marines called out.

"Yes, sir," another said before pressing a button that brought down a fireproof bulkhead that covered the wall where the door was located.

"Wallace, I'm glad you were able to make it," Fleet Admiral John Kronus said. He was sitting at his desk poring over the reports that were steadily coming in from various parts of the Olympica.

"I don't know how much you know but someone has blown up the Quorum of Twelve, maybe four of them survived but there's no telling how badly three of them were injured," Wallace said.

Kronus ran a hand through his white hair and let out a deep breath. "This has all the touches of a coup attempt. With that emergency bulkhead lowered we should be fine but other places are in trouble."

"What are you planning to do?" Wallace asked.

"I've sent word to General Maxwell on the _Syrinx_ and General Hyde on the _Valcour_. Hyde has already assured me that she will send however many of her troops as she can to help. I'm sure Maxwell will do the same with his Marines."

"That should be enough to turn the tide," Tank said.

"It's just a matter of how quickly they can get here," Heavy added.

"Wallace, can you get any of you people from Amasen over here?" Kronus asked.

"I wish I could, but with the time it would take to get everything organized I can't promise they would be ready in time," Wallace said.

"It was worth a try. You and your people will stay here for now unless I need you somewhere else."

"I can assure you that my people and I are ready to assist wherever you send us," Wallace said with a reassuring smile.

"Good to know because if I send you somewhere then there will be some fighting involved," Kronus said before turning his attention back to the reports on his desk.

**_Olympica_, Colonial Fleet Command:**

The area that had once been the Second Class Gift Shop was in the process of undergoing a metamorphosis. Its formerly tan colored walls were now a utilitarian gray. The racks that normally contained merchandise had been replaced by various pieces of furniture designed for making visiting guests more comfortable. Two large televisions that had been in place when the place was a store were still there and they broadcast a mix of archived Colonial television programs and news reports from the impromptu network of journalists on the _Olympica_.

"I'd say this place is still a work in progress," Willis said as she and Adar walked up to the entrance.

"It may take time to fully convert it into a command center but at least they're making progress on it," he said as he stepped into the main entrance.

"Commander Adar and Colonel Willis," one of the enlisted said after she walked up and saluted the two officers, "I'm Petty Officer Hillary Gamble; I'm helping to oversee the conversion. Admiral Brannigan has been expecting you."

"Thank you, Gamble; how is the conversion coming along?" Adar asked.

"It's coming along as well it could be. We're close to where we can lay carpeting down and find a place for all of these retail fixtures we don't need," Gamble said as she glanced over at the spot where the unneeded fixtures had been set aside.

"I'm sure if you can't find any takers you can always find some way to repurpose it," Willis offered.

Gamble shrugged. "If it comes to that, then yes we can pull it off but I'd prefer that we just pass it off to someone willing to take it off our hands. I'll go let Admiral Brannigan know that you've arrived.

"Impressive woman, do you think we can get her on the _Achilles_ once the refit is finished?" Willis asked.

It looked as though Adar was about to say something when there was the sound of automatic machine gun fire followed by screams and the sounds of untold number of footsteps running away.

"What the frak was that?" Adar said as he heard the sounds of gunfire erupt nearby.

"I don't know but it sounds like it's not that far away," Willis asked.

"This is a gun-free zone," Rear Admiral James Brannigan said as he walked up to where the two officers were standing.

"This is an interesting way of welcoming us to the _Olympica. _We haven't even been here for an hour and a firefight breaks out. Are you sure we're not on Canceron?" Adar joked, but by the look on the faces of the personnel nearby, nobody heard it.

"Marines, secure the room!" Brannigan bellowed to the group of six Marines standing guard at the entrance.

One of the Marines pressed a button and immediately a heavy iron gate began to slide down to seal the room off. It was clearly designed to keep people out but perhaps it would discourage the gunmen from trying to enter Fleet Command.

"Gods, is that even going to hold?" Willis said as she took stock of the ability of the gate to keep a determined shooter out.

"Maybe it will or maybe it won't, but right now it's all we have to try to keep people out," Brannigan said before adding, "Come with me to the back room, we need to get a hold of Admiral Kronus and tell him what's happening."

"Yes sir," Adar said as he and Willis headed through a set of double doors that led to what had once been a large stockroom. He saw Brannigan run over to what appeared to have been the manager's office.

Brannigan took a seat and quickly entered the number for Kronus' office. He was both relieved and surprised when Kronus picked up on the first ring.

"This is Kronus," the Leonisian admiral said in his business-like tone of voice.

"Admiral, this is Brannigan. We have a group of shooters that have opened fire near Fleet Command."

A quiet came over the phone before Kronus asked, "What steps have you taken to keep Fleet Command safe?"

"I've instituted a lockdown and I have six Marines that were here when the shooting began."

"Why were there only six Marines with you, are there any other personnel there?"

"We had construction personnel here in the back, along with a small group of enlisted personnel setting up our equipment. I have Commander Adar and Colonel Willis here too. There would have been more but we the watch was about to turn over."

"Understood, whoever did this knew the right time to try to storm your post. Keep that security gate closed and the Marines are to let nobody get through," Kronus said.

Brannigan rubbed his temples with his free hand, "I can do that, but what if there are civilians trying to get inside?"

"I think any civilian not associated with these people has already run away to find a safer hiding spot. I hate to say it but if someone is trying to find sanctuary with you then you should assume their motives are less than honorable."

He wanted to argue with Kronus but had a feeling it would not do much good, "I understand, sir."

"Keep me informed of any developments, I'm sending off a communiqué to General Maxwell requesting the Marines to come and help restore the peace," Kronus said before the line went dead.

Brannigan opened his drawer and pulled out his sidearm. He looked up and saw Adar and Willis standing there, "We set up a small armory down the corridor to the left. I want you to arm yourselves and be ready to shoot if these guys get through the barrier."

"Do you think it will come to that?" Willis asked.

Brannigan locked eyes with her. "That gate was designed to keep shoplifters out. I doubt it's going to do much against someone far more dangerous."

There was the sound of gunfire bursts coming from the front entrance. The three officers looked at each other and without saying a word; they left the room to prepare to repel invaders should they get past the Marines.

"I think we should have stayed the night on the _Achilles_," Willis said to Adar as they headed down the corridor to find the armory.

"Yeah and we would be missing out on the excitement, it's almost like we're recreating the Battle of Black River," Adar said.

"You do realize that the Marines at Black River held out against the Cylons only to be slaughtered once their supplies ran out?" Willis asked. During the Cylon War, the Colonial Marines withstood a withering initial assault from Cylon Forces along the banks Aerilon's Black River. The Cylons were advancing on the towns located along the river and it was up to the Marines to cover the withdrawal of the civilians as they fled their homes and scattered into the presumed safety of the rural areas. Sadly for many of the Marines, their supplies ran out. When they were sufficiently weakened, the Cylons came in and killed the survivors.

Brannigan poked his head out of the door. He saw that the six Marines had taken defensive positions, and were exchanging fire with the shooters. It looked as though the Marines would wait for the intruders to advance before they unleashed their fire. He went back through the door and saw that Adar and Willis had joined him along with the twelve enlisted personnel; all were brandishing their weapons and looked ready to put them to use.

"Where are the construction workers?" he asked.

"They're hiding back in one of the storage rooms. Their foreman said they have no intention of coming out until this is over," Adar said.

"Sir, I tried to reason with them but they're adamant that they are not going to leave that room," Gamble added.

Brannigan pushed back the group and headed down the corridor where the armory and the storerooms were located. He saw the door to Storeroom A was open and he guessed that was there the construction workers were located. As he got closer, he opened the door and saw the workers huddled near the back of the room.

"Who here is in charge?" he asked.

"I am," a middle-aged man said as he walked up to the door and said to Brannigan, "My name is Shane Cooke and no matter what you say, my people and I are not going to go out there to die for you."

"Who said anything about me sending you to your death?" Brannigan asked.

"I'm not a dummy, you need cannon fodder and what better way to get that than to use us civilians," Cooke said and the look on his face dared the admiral to argue with him.

Brannigan wanted to argue with him but he would lose valuable time doing so. "Come with me and I'll make you a deal."

Cooke looked at him skeptically. "What are you trying to do?"

"Come with me to the armory and you can get you and your workers some weapons to use in case we're overrun."

"Admiral, in case you haven't noticed, we're civilians. We have no part in your fight."

Brannigan got in close enough so that only Cooke could hear him. "Judging by the look of those people trying to break in here, I don't think there are any civilians here at the moment. To them, you're just another target. Now, I'm not going to force you to fight with me. I will, however, give you guns so you can defend yourself in the worst-case scenario and you may even get to take one or two down before they kill you. So swallow your damn pride and come with me."

Cooke took a step back and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, Admiral, no need to twist my arm over this."

Brannigan did not say a word, if he had he would have had some very choice words to say to the man, and in truth it was not worth the effort.

**_Olympica_ Security, Main Office:**

There was group of fifteen officers gathering at the entrance to Olympica Security in an attempt to stop the intruders from gaining access to the area. Normally there would have been a decidedly larger presence but with so many 'fires' popping up on the ship in need of their assistance the security force was spread decidedly thinner than many would have been comfortable with.

"Get to the armory and arm yourselves!" Rhoda Davis, the officer in charge of _Olympica_ Security shouted to the officers still there in the main office.

"I take it that we're about to be invaded?" Lyndon Ewing said as he ran up to where she was standing.

"There were reports of gunfire and some of our people were gunned down. I don't know who these people are but I'd guess they're tied to Dante Solis somehow," she said.

"That was what I was afraid you were going to say," Ewing said as he shook his head in disgust. "I wish I knew how we let that bastard slip through our fingers back on the _Jauron_!"

Both he and Davis had been part of an assault team that stormed Dante Solis' ship, the _Jauron_, in an attempt to apprehend the man. The team was composed of a mixture of Olympica Security personnel, Colonial Marines, one Ministry of Intelligence officer, and one Colonial Fleet officer. The group managed to secure the _Jauron_ but Solis had slipped away and had not been heard from since. While there had been no official word on which person was behind the attack, it was safe to assume Solis was responsible.

"Because he has an informant with inside information that tipped him off," Davis said as she slung her assault rifle onto her shoulder and made sure her body armor was adjusted properly. She remembered reports of police officers on Sagitarron who had been killed during the Hebron Riots because their armor had not been secured properly. That was something she refused to have happen to her.

"I would love to find out who those people are; then each of us can take turns 'guarding' them," Ewing said and truth was he did not care if Davis took offense to it or not.

"Let's not worry about that right now. The important thing is that we keep that group of thugs from breaching this office and gaining access to the Armory," Davis said as she took her rifle off her shoulders and aimed it toward the entrance to the main office.

"Looks like we have about fifteen officers here with us; the rest are out answering calls for help or providing protection to government officials," Ewing said as he looked behind him at the group gathered, with their guns at the ready.

"I had a feeling our forces were going to be spread pretty thin but that is worse than I thought it was going to be. Oh well, I suppose it's better than what we would have had if they had all left to help put out the fires," Davis said.

Ewing let loose a volley from his rifle and watched with satisfaction as one of the shooters went down. "Looks like we're going to be the ones to put this fire out."

"Yeah well here's hoping they don't push too hard. We can make them hurt if they try to storm us but we're stretched so thin right now I can't help but worry," Davis said as she ducked to avoid a round that nearly hit her.

"The good news is that we're trained for this kind of situation," Ewing said as he got out of cover to unleash another volley of gunfire.

"Believe me, when I signed on for this job I thought the worst I would have to deal with would be a drunk and disorderly or maybe a shoplifter. This is not what I thought I was signing up for!"

"Hey, Rhoda, is it just me or has it gotten quiet?" Ewing asked.

Davis was silent for a moment as she listened. "I think it has gone quiet."

"Please tell me that means they gave up and retreated," Ewing said as he allowed a smile to come to his face.

"We can hope," Davis said as she stood up to get a view of the entrance. What she saw made her blood go cold. "Grenade! Run!"

The intruders had thrown several stun grenades into the entrance's main lobby. The grenades quickly exploded with a dense cloud that carried a knockout gas. It quickly rendered all of the defenders of Olympica Security unconscious.

At the entrance stood Dante Solis with a satisfied expression on his face. He had changed his mind about going into hiding for the time being. Instead, he wanted to lead one of the strike teams and he had set his eyes on _Olympica_ Security. Smuggling the weapons onboard had been surprisingly easy. Cubits still held value and there were people willing to accept them by looking away at crucial times.

He held a wireless receiver to his mouth and said, "All teams not engaged in combat meet me at _Olympica_ Security; we just hit a weapons jackpot."

When this was over, he would go into hiding until his takeover had been completed successfully.

Several minutes passed as the fans in the main lobby began to draw the gas out of the room so that it could be eventually ejected out into space. With that done, Solis stepped over the threshold and looked around the room as though he was a conqueror who had just conquered a major city. After a moment, he took in the sight of the motionless bodies of the security officers. If there was any resistance found in this station then his people could easily deal with it.

"Faustin, I want all of these people secured in the interrogation rooms while they're still unconscious. We not only have the hostage card to play, but we can also find out if they have any information that could be useful to us."

He then stepped away from the mass of unconscious forms and began to search for _Olympica_ Security's armory.

Henri Faustin watched Solis walk away and he fought an urge to shake his head. He was loyal to him and would do anything asked of him but this was something he could not understand. If he had done what he had intended, then _Olympica_ Security would be a flaming wreck by now and all of its defenders dead by his hand. Solis had wanted to use the gas grenades instead of the regular explosive type his men had elsewhere on the ship. The important thing was to use brute force to overwhelm the enemy and bring them to agree to your terms unconditionally. This felt like a needless game of strategy was being played when none was truly needed.

**Twenty-Eight Minutes Later:**

**_Olympica_, Governor's Office:**

Aurelia Gilliam was escorted to the room by a pair of the Marines stationed at the door for his protection. Governor David Rush looked up from his desk and saw that the woman who most would easily call his political adversary looked decidedly shaken up.

"Ms. Gilliam, allow me to first say that I'm glad you're okay and to express my condolences for any friends on the Quorum you lost in the explosion."

Gilliam took a seat. "Thank you, Mr. Governor, I appreciate that. Did any of the Quorum survive?"

Rush nodded his head. "There are three survivors; Marian Sanders, Brooke Bowman, and Peter Halle. They are in Medical right now, in the Intensive Care Ward. I have assigned security to make sure nobody tries to kill them."

"That's a relief, I wish none had been killed but at least there were survivors. Especially Peter, I know his daughter will be thrilled to know he survived. Who have you assigned for their protection?" she asked.

It's a mix of the Marines and Eastern Alliance soldiers that are currently on the _Olympica_. I doubt anyone who tries to get to them will not succeed."

Gilliam's eyes went wide. "You have the Eastern Alliance here guarding you and guarding the Quorum survivors! How do you know they weren't behind it?"

"Magnus Ah-Mun personally contacted me and offered the help of his soldiers to assist in any way they could. I doubt he would attempt such a naked attempt at a power grab."

"You're right…" Gilliam admitted before adding, "Please forgive me, this whole thing has my nerves a little on edge. I just think about how I could have easily been there when the explosion happened. I spent months working with most of the Quorum and; truth be told I this whole mess unbelievable. I was in my quarters getting some rest. If I had gone to the conference room as I planned…"

Rush put up a hand. "Let's not worry about what could have happened right now; the important thing is that you did survive. I know we don't agree on much, if anything, politically but it is important that we have some of the governing body intact."

"Yes, you're right; what about Mrs. Alonzo? Wouldn't she be a target also?"

"The Eastern Alliance is keeping her safe along with her personal security detail from _Olympica_ Security," Rush said and mentally he hoped it would be enough to keep Gloria Alonzo safe.

The door to the office opened and in stepped Mitchell Cain, Karin Briggs, Mark Hunter, Alisa Stark, Magnus Ah-Mun, and Lucie Marais.

"Mister Governor, I'm glad to see you're alive," Cain said.

"Thank you, Cain, it looks like you and your friends took some damage," Rush said as he looked over the group. Some wounds appeared to be cuts from glass or wood splinters, but he could not say with exact accuracy.

"I see Ms. Gilliam is alive too," Cain said as he brought his gaze to meet hers, "I'm glad that at least one member of the Quorum has survived. How are the rest?"

Gilliam spoke before Rush could say something, "We have three other members who are still alive but they are in critical condition at the moment. Delegates Sanders, Bowman, and Halle were injured in an explosion that tore through the Jarrell Conference Room earlier today."

"Probably about the same time the attacks started," Briggs said.

"Lucie, if you would like to go to one of the rooms and rest you are more than welcome to," Magnus said to a clearly shaken Lucie Marais.

"Of course, any room of this suite is available for her to use," Rush said and he received an approving nod from Magnus for his comment.

"Thanks, but I feel safer here with you. If you could get me some water, I'll just have a seat over there on that sofa," she said.

"Very well, I'll be right back with some water," Magnus said as he left the room.

"He's quite the gentleman," Stark said.

"For the leader of a pirate group he certainly is well-mannered," Hunter added.

"From what he tells it, the Eastern Alliance is not so much a pirate group to him as a 'private security firm' what dabbles a bit in the mercenary world," Rush said.

"Yet the leader of the Eastern Alliance was referred to in the media as 'The Pirate King'," Briggs said.

"I'm not saying he's not a pirate, but I think he's made a successful life for himself. Not too bad for a pilot that got discharged from the Colonial Fleet during the drawdown after the Cylon War," Rush said.

"You're telling me he fought in the Cylon War?" Gilliam asked.

"He served on the _Solaria, Galactica, Athena, Queenstown_, and _Delphi_, if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure there may have been others but those are the battlestars I can name off the top of my head," Rush said as he mentally tried to remember the details of Magnus Ah-Mun's service record.

"With the way he acts sometimes I wouldn't be surprised if he is descended from the ancient Borellian Nomen tribes that used to wander the Borella Desert on Caprica," Gilliam said with the dismissive tone many had become accustomed to hearing from her.

"What would make you say that?" Cain asked.

"During that tour of the Cylon baseship he captured, well, he and I had a bit of an argument. The way that man threatened me was just savage!"

"I have no doubt you did nothing to incite him to get angry with you," Rush said with the clear implication that he felt she was to blame for angering Magnus.

"Wait a minute, he captured a Cylon baseship?" Hunter asked.

"His people boarded it during a battle and killed all of the Cylons onboard, not that there were that many on there to begin with. Thanks to that, the Eastern Alliance has its own baseship and Cylon Raiders to go along with it. Mind you, both the baseship and the Raiders date back to the Cylon War so it's not the most advanced Cylon tech we have, but it can be adapted for our needs," Rush said.

"That's an impressive accomplishment," Hunter admitted.

For Lucie Marais the gravity of the whole situation was hard to take in all at once. She had been tending bar at the Grille when everything banked hard to port. This was the type of thing she thought she was leaving behind on Canceron when she accepted the job with the Colonial Line. Now here she was in the Governor's office with Magnus Ah-Mun, of all people, getting her water and making sure she was okay.

"I know you may be tired of this but how are you holding up?" Rush asked as he took a seat beside her.

"It's unreal, this has to be a nightmare of some kind," she said before adding, "Though I fear this is far too real for me to have just dreamed."

"I take it your dreams are usually not so action-packed. Just know that as long as you're here you'll be safe, I don't think you can find a safer place on the Olympica," Rush said as he tried to reassure her.

"Thank you, I just hope that when this is over I'll come out of it unharmed. You and Mr. Ah-Mun have been so kind to me," she said and she tried to manage a smile after saying it.

"It doesn't have to be an election year for me to show kindness. Speaking of our pirate friend, did you know him well before this happened?"

She nodded, "He frequented the Grille quite a bit. It was yesterday that he was having a drink with a friend, something owing him a drink from their time during the Cylon War. He was always very friendly to me and he tipped well too, I know the stereotype for a pirate but he was every bit the gentleman."

Rush was going to say something but a movement behind him caught his eye. He turned and saw Gilliam walking towards him. He promptly asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I know you have a lot to deal with at the moment, if you'd like for me to I'd be happy to sit with Miss Marais and keep her company until I'm needed."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Rush said as he stood up and made his way back over to his desk.

The door to the room opened and Magnus came back into the room with a glass of water for Marais.

"Welcome back, Mister Ah-Mun," Rush said.

"Thank you, Mister Governor, if you would permit me I'll be happy to send word to the _Revenge_ to mobilize a landing party to help deal with these vermin that are trying to kill us," Magnus said.

Rush did not hesitate, "Make the call."

**Marine Transport Ship _Syrinx_:**

Brigadier General Otus Maxwell sat at the desk in his quarters on the transport ship _Syrinx_ and looked over the message that he had just received. He had to wonder if it were even possible that, after the fighting they had been through on Ostarsis, that he and his Marines were about to be called into the fray developing on the _Olympica_. Dante Solis, a figure whom he knew little about, was attempting what amounted to a coup of some sort. He usually tried to stay out of politics but it was obvious to him that if the government on the _Olympica_ failed, then anarchy would reign supreme throughout the fleet and there was no telling what a man like Solis was capable of.

That was something that could be explained as a form of bad luck for the Marines under his command. If the reports were true and this was not a prank of some kind being pulled on him, then it was necessary to use the full force of his troops to put down the fight that had broken out on the luxury liner.

"Colonel Krulak," Brannigan said to his second-in-command, "I want the every Marine in the regiment who was not injured, ready to deploy within half an hour."

Colonel Jake Krulak nodded his understanding. "I take it that this isn't some prank being played on you, sir."

Maxwell shook his head. "I wish it was somebody's sick idea of a joke, but I know Admiral Kronus would not have had that sent to me if it wasn't legit."

"We'll be ready for whatever is waiting for us over there," Krulak said before turning to leave the room.

"This may be more challenging than fighting the Cylons on Ostarsis," Maxwell said aloud as he took a seat at his desk. Killing the toasters was one thing, but this was an attack against the Colonials who had been fortunate enough to have survived the attack by the Cylons.

"Dante Solis, if I have my way, you are going to regret the day you were born," he said as he opened the drawer and removed his sidearm. It was an older model than the ones issued to Marines nowadays but the truth was, he would take his Curran-853 pistol over the newer models. It had served him well years ago when he had been fighting against the Green Army in the Demeter Jungle. Now he would take it with him when he and his Marines boarded the _Olympica_.


	7. Chapter 7: Something to Do with Justice

**Chapter Seven: Something to Do with Justice**

**Four Hours Later: **

_**Olympica**_** Security Office: **

Dante Solis sat in the chair behind the desk of Karin Briggs' desk. From the office of the _Olympica_ Security director he was able to look down from the second level to the main floor where his people were setting up barricades to fend off an assault by the Colonial forces.

None of his prisoners had divulged the password to the armory but in the end his people were still endeavoring to find a way to the cache of weapons. At this point the _Olympica_ Security personnel were only of use to him as hostages and it was a bargaining chip he was grateful to have. Perhaps The Watcher had given him the wrong passcode? He would eventually have to get in touch with his mysterious informant to find out for sure what had happened.

"You seem to have made yourself at home," a voice said from the room's entrance.

Solis turned around and smiled at the man. "Mr. Faustin, I don't think our plans could have gone better.

Henri Faustin walked over to the desk and took a nearby chair. "We've put up a decent enough barricade. The military can force their way through but we can hurt them when they try. I assume you're counting on them to not try that just yet."

Solis nodded his head. "I have no desire to inflict unnecessary losses to our forces, as long as Governor Rush goes along with what I have in mind; then there will be no need for further bloodshed. How are our people doing with their attempt to take Fleet Command?"

Faustin was quiet for a moment before he said, "Not good, so far Admiral Brannigan and his people have kept them from taking the location. That allowed the Colonial Marines to come in and overwhelm them before they could accomplish their objective. I fear they have become martyrs to the cause."

Solis was quiet as the revelation ran through his mind before he finally said, "Then I shall make sure their loss was not in vain."

**Governor David Rush's Office: **

"Thank you, General Maxwell," David Rush said as he placed the phone back into its cradle.

"Good news from _Olympica_ Security?" Magnus Ah-Mun of the Eastern Alliance asked.

Rush shook his head. "Both General Maxwell and Colonel Krulak have troops stationed at all four entrances to _Olympica_ Security but it appears Solis' people have barricaded them. So far there has been small exchanges of gunfire but nothing to get worked up over."

"So the main entrance and the three other entrances are barricaded by his forces," Mitchell Cain said as he processed the information in his mind. Years of work with the Ministry of Intelligence had helped to shape his thinking in ways that could prove useful in a situation such as this.

Rush sighed. "Yes and he's threatening to shoot hostages if we try to storm the place. To make matters worse, he is demanding that I come and meet with him."

"That may be a good idea," Cain said and it was then that the others in the room looked at him.

"You can't be serious about negotiating with him," Aurelia Gilliam declared as though the idea was an affront to common decency.

"Hear me out," Cain said as he walked over to where an unused computer was turned on.

"I'm listening," Rush said.

Cain began entering information and it was not long before the schematics of the _Olympic_a began to appear, "The ventilation system should be more than large enough to accommodate a person of my size and weight. I can make my way to _Olympica_ Security and use a sniper rifle to take out Solis while he negotiates with you. If you can draw him out then I can take a shot."

"What happens if you can't get a shot?" Gilliam asked.

Cain hit a button and a three dimensional image of _Olympica_ Security's lobby came into view. "On the other side of the room across from where I can set up is a spot where another sniper can be deployed. If I can't get the shot then there will at least be backup."

"That's an intriguing possibility but where do you plan to find another sniper?" Rush asked.

Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter stepped forward. "I'm a decent shot, I'll be happy to help you on this."

Cain tried to hold back a laugh, "You're awfully eager to help me out Archangel."

"Solis and his people tried to kill me and there's no telling how many people they have killed. I think it's about time I returned the favor."

"Before the two of you go off to carry that out, I want to coordinate with Admiral Kronus and any people he may be able to offer to help with this operation," Rush said.

Cain gave a slight nod, "As you wish, Mr. Governor, but time is of the essence. Archangel and I will be ready when the time comes."

"Just a moment,' Magnus Ah-Mun said as he walked up to where the men were standing.

"What can I do for you, Magnus?" Cain asked with no trace of irritation in his voice.

"I just want to make a point…Major Hunter, are you a trained sniper?" Magnus asked. The leader of the Eastern Alliance had a point to make and he knew he would not have much time to do so.

"I've trained with shooting a rifle before, how come?" Hunter asked.

"You shouldn't be offended when I tell you this but you are not ready to be a sniper in a situation like this. May I suggest we get one of my people to join you instead?" he offered.

"Perhaps we can get one of the Marines to join you instead," Rush countered.

Cain thought for a moment before asking Magnus, "Do you have anyone in your crew that's trained as a sniper?"

Magnus shot him a quizzical look. "When you're in my line of work you need someone with that particular skill set."

Cain thought for a moment before he said, "I'll stay here and wait for the sniper; can you get him or her here quickly?"

Magnus pulled a mobile phone and said, "Hey, Sarita, can you come meet me at the Governor's Office? Bring your rifle with you if possible; I have a job for you. _Y_es, it does have the Governor's approval; no you don't have to worry about anyone trying to collect the bounty the MoI put on you. Who are you working with? Just know that you are working with an MoI officer and he needs your help. Thanks, I'll see you when you get here."

Cain waited until Magnus put his phone away before he asked, "So who is this 'Sarita' I'm going to meet?"

"Sarita Torrance, she's an expert sniper and will be more than capable of making your job easier," Magnus said.

Cain turned to leave the room, "Have her meet me at the Lanier Art Gallery on C-Deck."

**Battlestar **_**Ark Royal**_**, CIC:**

Commander Audra Ortiz took a sip of the coffee and grinned as the warm liquid greeted her taste buds with the welcome taste of the black brew. There was a part of her that would have loved to have been out there with Admiral Sakura and her cobbled-together task force but her ship was more than suited to take up the guard position at Amasen as it had done so many times before. She knew what was at stake with Sakura gone; the safety of the station fell to on the shoulders of her ship and crew. Sure there were various cruisers and other support vessels to help protect the _Ark_ should the Cylons somehow find the station that had become their place of refuge as well as their base of operations.

The doors to the CIC slid open and Ortiz was surprised to see two of her fellow officers enter the room. One she had been expecting and the other was a surprise.

"Commander Graystone, welcome aboard the _Ark Royal_," Ortiz said as she shook hands with Commander Andre Graystone, the Commanding Officer of the Battlestar _Victorious_.

"Thank you for having us on board, Commander Ortiz," the woman said.

Ortiz looked at her and tried to place her, "I'm sorry, Colonel you have me at a loss for who you are."

"Colonel Celina Cruz, I'm Commander Graystone's XO on the _Vic_," Cruz replied with more than a hint of pride at the post she held.

"I'm sure you feel familiar already with the _Vic_ being one of our sister ships," Ortiz offered.

"Yes it does, we appreciate the chance to come and visit…we thought the _Vic_ might have been the last of her kind left," Graystone said.

"Make no mistake; it was close to becoming true. We had some close scrapes during the early part of the war but she's held her own when it's mattered most," Ortiz said before adding, "How did you get command of the _Victorious_, were the two of you onboard when the Cylons attacked?"

"No, both Colonel Cruz and I were stationed on the _Atlantia_. I was the CO of Viper Squadron Four when the decision was made to keep us in the launch tubes in case we were needed for the battle. When the Cylons disabled the _Atlantia _we were still in our birds waiting to be launched, and when they blew her apart we were saved from being destroyed by the launch tube doors. If the_ Victorious_ hadn't come to Virgon we'd have eventually ran out of air and died," Graystone said.

"I think compared to the two ways we could have died the worst was sitting there waiting for the end to come. I don't know how many promises I made to the gods while I sat in my cockpit wondering if rescue was going to come or not," Cruz added.

"There was a moment when the _Ark_ lost power and I wondered if we were going to make it," Ortiz admitted and in her mind she tried and failed to imagine what these two officers must have gone through waiting in their cockpits wondering if they were going to live or die, "We got lucky and it seems to have been our story since the Colonies fell. Even the decommissioning proved to be fortunate for us."

"Decommissioned because of a small fire. Adar really did have it in for the Fleet," Graystone said.

Ortiz smiled, "I should actually thank him for doing that because it allowed us to disable our CNP program and keep the Cylons from shutting us down."

Cruz's face took on a confused look. "I thought you said the _Ark_ lost power when it encountered the Cylons…"

"Oh we did, but it was because of a combination of Cylon sabotage and one of my Engineering crew disabling the ship in a suicidal gesture."

Graystone chuckled, "You say that so casually."

"I'm not saying this situation has been easy for me but with everything this ship and crew has been through the past eight months you sort of become adjusted to the craziness."

"Still, you had Cylon sabotage and a crewmember trying to disable the ship. Gods this war has brought out the crazy in some people," Cruz muttered.

"What's the story behind that?" Graystone asked, his curiosity clearly winning the battle in his mind.

"It's a long story and in time I'll tell you, but for now it's not all that important," Ortiz quickly said.

"Sorry, Commander, didn't mean to put you on the defensive," Graystone said.

"Sorry, it's all still kind of fresh in my mind," Ortiz said in apology. "If you think about everything this ship and crew has been through we're all a little on edge about how we survived those first few months."

"I saw that you have a full air wing, how did you manage to pull that off with the _Ark_ having been decommissioned?" Cruz asked.

"I think luck had more to do with that than anything else," Ortiz explained, "When we discovered the Battlestar _Kios_ we discovered that most of the ship's air wing was still onboard. It took several days to transfer the pilots to the _Ark_ along with the Vipers and Raptors. We also began a pilot training program of the civilians we had rescued with previous military experience. When the ship left Lampetia there were a handful of pilots who managed to get onboard before the airlock closed. They formed out group of instructors. The rest were the survivors from when we lost the escort battlestar Vasa."

"How'd you end up losing the _Vasa_?" Graystone asked.

Ortiz was quiet for a few moments before she said, "Through nothing more than really bad luck."

"Well, I would love to see more of the ship if that's okay," Cruz quickly said before an awkward silence set in.

Ortiz nodded. "Of course, I would happy to show you around."

_**Olympica**_**, C-Deck, Lanier Art Gallery: **

Located on the aft end of _Olympica'_s C-Deck, the Lanier Art Gallery was intended as a showpiece of Colonial art that could be viewed when the liner was either away on a cruise or docked in port. The Colonial Line spared no expense with acquiring a collection of sculptures and paintings from all twelve worlds of the Colonies.

Cain took in the sight of the room and noticed how empty the room appeared to be. It ran the width of the _Olympica_ and without any patrons it seemed to be nothing more than a fancy art warehouse. He knew it was a security measure as part of the ship's lockdown procedure. He was in the Aquarian section of the museum and was admiring a painting of the city of Heim by George W. Ingram when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps on the tiled floor.

He quickly turned around with his pistol drawn and ready to fire when he noticed two people coming his way. One of them was a serious-looking man in black attire with a weapon in his left hand that seemed ready to aim in his direction. The other person was a tan-skinned woman in a similar black outfit. Her brown eyes seemed to be appraising him as much as he was appraising her.

"Are you Mitchell Cain?" the woman asked.

"Depends on who you are," Cain responded.

"You would be wise to answer her question," the man said.

"I'm here to meet a woman; if you're who I'm looking for then I might answer your question," Cain retorted.

"With arrogance like that he has to be Ministry of Intelligence," the man said to the woman.

"You're right…I'm Sarita Torrance and this is my associate, Kang Shan. Magnus Ah-Mun thought you would be better off with our help," Sarita Torrance said.

Cain lowered his pistol and put it back into its holster, "In that case, yes I am Mitchell Cain. I only need a sniper for this mission. Why are you bringing an extra along?"

"Magnus sent over a diagram of the _Olympica_ Security Main Office and there is a third vantage point that can be useful for observation and sniping if necessary," Torrance said as she brought up the diagram on a small tablet screen.

"I didn't have that one of my plans, that must have been added later," Cain said.

"Why would the Ministry of Intelligence need plans for the _Olympica_?" Shan asked.

"It wasn't for the MoI, I was retired by then," Cain admitted.

"Interesting, then why would a retired Ministry of Intelligence officer need the plans for the _Olympica_?" Torrance asked.

Cain did not take the bait and simply said, "I have my reasons, and I'm not sharing them right now."

"I'm disappointed, but here we are about to work together and you're keeping secrets; this is heartbreaking," Torrance said teasingly.

"I'm assuming you'll have no problem getting over it," Cain said before deciding to change the subject. "There's an access hatch leading to the air ducts, from there we can work our way up to _Olympica_ Security."

"The Admiral told us to play nice and let you take the lead," Torrance said as she motioned with her hand for Cain to lead the way.

"Such politeness from a group of pirates," Cain muttered as he led the three of them towards museum's office area.

"I believe you'll find that the Eastern Alliance is a private security company," Shan countered.

"Yeah and I spent most of my adult life as an insurance salesman," Cain shot back.

"Boys, let's not let this turn into an argument; when this is over we can get all of this pent up aggression out of our systems," Torrance said in an attempt to keep Cain and Shan from having an argument.

"Let's get this over with, the last thing I want to do is keep our friend Dante waiting," Cain said.

**Admiral Kronus' Office: **

"What's going on out there?" Carmen Bayonet asked.

"Sounds like there's some talk of Governor Rush meeting with Dante to try to buy Mitchell Cain some time to get in position so that perhaps he can snipe that bastard," Kronus said.

"You know I could have been useful to him as a sniper," Bayonet said to the man standing nearby.

"Yes and you'd have probably taught him a thing or two about how to shoot a rifle, but he was there and you're here so just believe I'm keeping you around for extra protection," Major Arthur Wallace said to the woman who had been his top sniper for the past four years.

"Arthur, I know you'd be right there in the thick of the action if you could. In all the years I've known you I don't think you've ever turned down a fight," Bayonet said.

"I've turned down fights before, but that's only because I'd rather fight them later on terms of my own choosing," Wallace said as he read over a printout that Kronus had read. "Looks like Fleet Command was saved by the Marines. That should clear the last major obstacle between us and the Governor's Suite."

"I think it's about time we get out of here and made our way there," Kronus said.

Wallace nodded. "It should be safe enough and we should be more than able to keep you safe. If something happens to you there's no telling how bad off the Colonial Fleet will be."

"I'm going to need someone to stay here and monitor the communications from the Marines," Kronus said.

"Admiral, I'd be happy to help with that," one of the Marines said.

Kronus turned to face the woman who had volunteered. "Marine, what's your name?"

"Corporal Devi Singh, sir!" Singh replied.

"You have the job, and I'm going to leave Miss Patel with you as well," Kronus said with a nod towards Nirmala Patel.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't need a civilian here with me," Singh stated.

"She's here on Governor Rush's behalf so she gets to stay here," Kronus countered knowing that it would end any disagreement from the Marine.

"Get in touch with General Maxwell and Governor Rush, let him know that I'm coming that way with four others," Kronus said as he looked toward the group where Wallace and his three companions had gathered by the door.

"Will do, sir," Singh said.

"Tank, Heavy, and I are ready to go as soon as you give the word," Wallace said.

"I have to make some arrangements and then we'll be able to leave," Kronus said as he walked off to meet with the personnel who would be staying behind.

"Leaving a secure area to go meet with the Governor; that man has a pair of stones on him," Darrell 'Tank' Robinson said.

"I guess that's why he earned the title of 'The Iron Duke'," David 'Heavy' Robinson added.

"He's leading by example. He could stay here holed up waiting for the crisis to pass but instead he's heading to where he can be more useful," Wallace said before adding, "With us here I like his odds of making it."

"With me along for the ride you're going to have even better odds," Carmen Bayonet said as she walked up to where the three were standing.

"Carmen, if anyone but you said that I'd be skeptical," Tank said.

"If this is about that little fight we had four years ago, don't you think it's time you got over it?" she asked.

"You shot me, that's not something a person gets over easily," Tank countered.

Bayonet put a hand to Tank's face and patted his cheek. "It was a part of my cover for helping Arthur. I had to make it look convincing, and I believe I said I was sorry for shooting you with a fully-loaded tranquilizer dart. Besides, shouldn't Arthur have told you that the ambush was a cover in case people were watching that area of the shore?"

Tank turned towards Arthur, "I don't recall you telling me that it was a set-up."

Wallace looked at him as innocently as he could. "I'm sure I did, unless I didn't because everything was so busy that day. A lot has happened in the four years since then.

"Did you see Little Tank before you ran into us?" Heavy asked. Their younger brother, Derrek, had been on the _Olympica_ when the violence erupted but had not been heard from.

"I guess I should have, but I was busy running for my life after getting shot," she said.

"How is the arm, did they really just graze you?" Tank asked.

"It's just a graze. If the bastard who shot me had been a better shot perhaps it'd have hit my heart and then you may finally be able to let go of a four-year grudge," Bayonet said as her right hand instinctively felt the bandage that had been placed over the wound on her left arm.

"We're ready to go," Kronus said as he walked toward the exit.

"Gods-speed, sir," one of the Marines guarding the door said.

"You too, Marine," Kronus replied as the door opened and both he and the four people accompanying him left the room.

**Battlestar **_**Stryker**_**, Admiral's Wardroom: **

Admiral Naomi Sakura looked over the printout in her hand and tried to make sense of the data that had been recovered from the Cylon communication buoy that they had recently discovered. Some of the news was encouraging but some of it decidedly fell into the 'Bad' category.

"You look like you're in deep thought," a voice she was now familiar with said from the entrance to the room.

"Commander Cyprian, I have to say that your crew developing a method of hacking into these old Cylon communication buoys is impressive. Whoever came up with it deserves a pat on the back and a gold star sticker. Have our guests arrived yet?" Sakura asked. It was an adjustment for her to go from the newer _Helios_ to the _Stryker_ but she was getting her bearings. Cyprian had been helpful in accommodating her on her new flagship.

"The Raptors have landed and I believe Lieutenant Hirsch is escorting them here. I take it the news we recovered isn't entirely good," Cyprian said.

Sakura shook her head. "Looking back on the previous buoy you tapped into I still have to wonder how you were able to tap into the Cylons' communications."

"With a little ingenuity, a little luck, and a whole lot of desperation," Cyprian said.

"The fact that it seems to be a Cylon War era buoy probably didn't hurt either," Sakura said with a knowing smile.

"Apparently that was one of those that got missed and for some reasons the Cylons found it and decided to put it back to use," Cyprian said as he walked around the conference table to where he would sit.

The door to the room opened and in walked Rear Admirals Nicholas Tattnall and Lewis Ware. Commander Susan Minerva, the Commanding Officer of the battlestar Gemenon, walked in behind them.

"Take a seat, I have some information to share with you," Sakura said as the officers took a seat at the table.

"What do you have for us, Admiral?" Tattnall asked.

"I recently revisited the Cylon communications buoy that Commander Cyprian had ordered tapped and after deciphering the information, Tactical came back with some interesting pieces of news," Sakura said as she passed out copies of the report she had received.

"Is there anything in there that can be used to our advantage?" Minerva asked.

"Perhaps," Sakura said before adding, "While we're still analyzing what we've discovered this much we have learned, there are factions in the Cylons that are apparently favoring peace with us and want to discontinue the war. Obviously there are those opposed to this, so perhaps we are starting to see a schism among the Cylon models," Sakura.

"Personally I'd prefer to that they just take their baseships and nuke themselves out of existence," Tattnall said.

"It would serve them right, but it would be more poetic if we were able to deliver the knockout blow," Ware said.

"Well, before we can do that we have other concerns," Sakura said.

"I was afraid there was going to be something along those lines," Minerva said.

"Whoever this Cylon known as 'One' has given a 'Four' a task force of baseships with the express purpose of hunting us down and eliminating us once and for all. It would appear we've become more than just an annoyance to them. They're trying to chase down the _Galactica_, but it looks as though we're tying down resources that they could use for that purpose," Sakura said as she turned the page to the part that she considered to be good news.

"So if we thought we were hunted before we're in for a surprise," Tattnall stated.

"More or less, but there is some positive news," Sakura said as she took in the looks of the officers sitting at the table.

"I'm glad there is some good news to come out of this," Ware said.

"The Cylons believe that there are perhaps two battlestars out there that they are still trying to track down," Sakura announced.

"Is there any clue as to which battlestars these are?" Tattnall asked.

Sakura shook her head, "It's unknown but they appear to be performing random hit-and-run attacks on the Cylons. They haven't stayed in the area long enough for a positive ID."

"At least we have a reason to be hopeful," Minerva said.

"I wish I knew who they are, but at least they're out there hitting the Cylons," Tattnall added.

"Tactical is going to take a look at the pattern to see if we can predict where these battlestars are and perhaps we can locate them. In the meantime, return to your ships and when I have a location for us to jump to we'll head there," Sakura said to dismiss the meeting and allow her Tactical Division a chance to see where these two mystery battlestars were operating from.

**Hospital Ship**_** Solace**_**: **

Emily Tolan sat in the office of Doctor Maurice Periera and did the one thing she had been doing every day since she had awakened from her coma…wait. She had heard from various nurses that this meeting would bring her good news, and with the possibility that Scott could be dead she was grateful to hear something good for a change.

"What's taking him so long?" she asked her sister.

"I don't know, maybe something came up," Andrea Graystone replied and patted her sister's hand reassuringly.

"I just want some good news for a change, lately it's been one setback after another," Emily said as her mind thought to all that had taken place lately.

"I know, and I realize you're dealing with something you thought you would have never have had to deal with," Andrea said.

"Yes, and Gods knows I can't stop myself thinking about Scott. His farewell video keeps playing in my mind and I wonder if he truly understood how hard it would be for me to move on."

Andrea gave her a sympathetic look. "Scott would want you to be happy. I think that meant more to him than anything in the worlds."

Before Emily could respond Dr. Periera entered. The elderly doctor from Gemenon had taken over her treatment and had done what he could to make sure she made a full recovery.

"Dr. Periera, it's good to see you again," Emily said pleasantly.

"Mrs. Tolan, I'm here to give you good news," Periera began, "Going by the results of our last visit I think it's safe to say that you've recovered from your head injury."

Emily could not help but smile. "That is great news! How much longer will I be on the _Solace_?"

Periera looked at the notes he had written. "I'm going to keep you for a few more days just for observation but I think that after that you'll be able to return to the _Olympica,_ if you desire."

Emily nodded her head, "Yes, I would like us to go back there."

Periera got up and walked over to where Emily and Andrea were seated. "I cannot tell you how happy your recovery has made not only me, but also the staff in this section of the _Solace_. I know it was touch and go there at first, but you've managed to beat the odds. You should consider yourself blessed."

Emily smiled at him. "I don't know if 'blessed' is quite the term I would use, but yes I do feel a debt of gratitude to you and everyone who helped me get here."

"I understand," he said, "I have to go make my rounds, but I wanted to give you the news first. You can start making your plans for when you want to return to the _Olympica_."

"That's exciting news; you get to leave here and return to the _Olympica_," Andrea said with a smile as broad as her sister's.

"Yes it is. I just wish Scott could have been here to see it," she said as the thought of her husband came to her again.

"I know he'd probably be planning the kind of celebration that would make Zeus green with envy. For what it's worth, I have some news I was going to share with you today," Andrea said.

"What would that be?" Emily asked, wondering what her sister had to say.

"Reese got cleared to return to duty!"

"That's great news, where is he going to be stationed?" Emily asked. Major Reese 'Spartan' Pittman was a Viper pilot on the _Victorious_ who Andrea had started a relationship with, a relationship that ended with a pregnancy. He had been attacked on the _Olympica_ by a rogue member of the Eastern Alliance and had nearly lost his life. He too had been on the _Solace_ recovering from his injuries.

"He's been promoted to Colonel and is going to help oversee the repair and refit of the _Helios_ whenever it takes its turn in the mobile dry dock," Andrea said with no attempt to hide her excitement.

"There's only one thing for us to do, we need to do get down to the café and have some celebratory food and drink!"

The two women left the room with a feeling of happiness that had not completely been there when they had entered. In all of the sadness and heartbreak that they had dealt with it was nice to have something that was a reason to be happy.

_**Olympica**_**, Argonne Plaza: **

Kronus, Wallace, Bayonet, and the Robinsons stepped onto the large open public space known as the Argonne Plaza. Under the orders of the _Olympica_'s captain, the plaza was empty of pedestrians. The bright artificial sunlight shone down on vacant cobblestone streets and shops that had neither customers nor employees in them.

"This place looks like a ghost town," Tank muttered.

"The only thing missing are the sheets of plywood covering the windows," Wallace said.

"Look over there," Kronus said as he pointed off to the distance, "There was some fighting here."

Heavy looked where the admiral had pointed. "Looks like some people were taken down before they had the chance to escape."

"It's a damn shame. Makes you wonder what Solis' end game is," Tank said.

"Doesn't matter what it is, the man's gone mental," Wallace commented.

"Shhh…" Kronus said before whispering, "Everyone take cover and draw your weapons. I think I heard footsteps off in the distance."

Wallace heard the sound of footsteps getting closer; it sounded as though it was from one person but was about all he could make out. He signaled to Kronus that he was going to go investigate and when the admiral nodded his permission he crept over to a nearby corner and mentally prepared himself to shoot an enemy if that was what he came across.

'One…two…three…' he mentally counted as he raised his weapon and turned the corner.

"Arthur, have you lost your mind?" Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson asked incredulously.

"Can you blame me?" Wallace asked, "For all I knew you could have been one of the bad guys!"

"As soon as I saw you I thought to myself, 'Great, I pull his ass out of a fire of his own making on Amasen and he's going to put a bullet in my head!' You have an interesting way of thanking people," Little Tank said with a shake of his head.

"At least you ran into a friendly face as well, you're an excellent pilot but your brothers are better shots."

"I think your bias is showing, but it is nice to see someone friendly. I wasn't sure if those guys were going to find me or not."

Wallace nodded and looked at the building Little Tank had exited. "How exactly did you end up hiding inside the Corvus Chocolate Factory?"

"I might as well go ahead and say that it all started with a girl," Little Tank began.

"Well now, you really have me interested," Wallace said with an amused grin on his face.

Before Little Tank could respond the glass window behind them shattered with the impact of bullets.

"Frak me, I wasn't expecting to get shot at again!" Little Tank exclaimed.

"Must be more of Dante's people," Wallace said.

"Are you sure it's not a group of women you've pissed off?"

"Could be, but I doubt it this time," Wallace said as he looked up over the metal table that he had overturned when he went to the ground, "Definitely not, so it means the Marines must have missed a few pockets of Dante's people."

"We're coming to you," Tank called out.

"No you're not, I need you and Heavy to stay there and keep Kronus safe," Wallace called out.

"I'm coming your way," Bayonet called out and it was then that she started running to an empty shop across the street.

"Don't do it, Carmen!" Wallace called out.

"Too late, she's running," Little Tank called out.

Wallace looked and saw Bayonet darting across the street. He also heard the sound of gunfire in her direction and he hoped that she would be able to make it across the street. He saw her pistol in her left hand and he was immediately sure of two things. One was that she was a damn good left-handed shot. The other was that her left arm was hurt and it would probably cost her speed and accuracy.

"Let's give her a chance," Wallace said as he and Little Tank got out from cover and started firing at Dante's people. Three of them went down but there were still four more and at least two of them concentrated on Bayonet.

She raised her pistol and squeezed off a few shots but the pain in her arm was getting to her. She may have said that it was just a graze but it was a bit more serious than that. The doorway to the shop was within her reach and as she dived through the door she felt a sharp jolt of pain in her abdomen and knew she had been hit. Her body hit the ground with a loud thud and she had to fight the urge to scream from the pain. She curled up in the fetal position and wondered where she had been hit and how bad the wound was. This was nothing she could pass off as a flesh wound.

"No!" Wallace screamed when he saw Bayonet take a hit in her abdomen. He ran out onto the street and his training with the Ministry of Intelligence took over. As he squeezed off round after round toward the enemy he heard the voice of his trainer, Galit Malka, in his head as he took down the remnants of the enemy group while Little Tank provided cover fire.

Eventually Malka's voice faded from his mind as he heard Tank shout, "Arthur, you can stop now!"

Wallace shook his head as the fog cleared and he found his pistol was still pointed at a dead enemy and his trigger finger was still squeezing the trigger of a now empty weapon.

"I made it to Carmen, she's still alive but she's hurt," Heavy's voice called out from the shop that Bayonet had dived into.

The rest of the men ran to the shop to see how she was.

Wallace knelt beside her and took in the sight of the woman he had met on Caprica four years ago. Bayonet was on her back now with the wound on her abdomen still bleeding despite the towel that Tank had pressed to it. Her tan skin seemed pale and she was sweating.

"She's going to need medical help soon," Kronus said.

"We're going to need to get to the ship's hospital if she's going to have a chance," Heavy said.

"I'll carry her," Wallace volunteered. "I'll take her and the rest of you can go with Kronus."

"Not by yourself," Tank said.

"Carry her out; if she's going to have a chance you'll have to get moving," Kronus said. When he saw that Heavy and Little Tank wanted to protest he said, "We'll be fine; the Governor's Office isn't too far from here."

The two men nodded and quickly checked the ammo they had left in their weapons. Wallace nodded and leaned down to pick Bayonet up to carry her. Before he and Tank left the building he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Hang in there."

"Okay, Robinsons," Kronus said to the remaining brothers as he began making his way out of the building. "Let's go find Governor Rush and see what's going on here."

"You know for Arthur's talk about him wanting to protect him, I don't think Kronus really seems to need our help," Little Tank said.

Heavy shook his head. "That's why he's The Iron Duke."

_**Olympica**_**, Governor's Office: **

Rush had retreated to his private quarters to gather his thoughts. He had been governor long enough to know that the months of his term felt more like years. He remembered all of the time he had spent second-guessing Richard Adar during both of his terms and now he began to wonder if this was a fraction of the weight that fell on the shoulders of the most powerful man in the Twelve Colonies.

There was a knock on the door and it brought Rush out of his thoughts. "Enter."

"Governor Rush, I heard you sent for me," Chaplain John Leishman, one of the chaplains on the _Olympica_, said as he entered the room.

"It's good to see you, John, how are Nina and Vera?" Rush asked.

"Thankfully they were on the _Solace_ to do volunteer work so they missed out on all of the fun," Leishman said as he took a seat by Rush. Nina was his wife of the past twenty-one years and Vera was their eighteen year old daughter. The family and Rush had struck up a friendship during the early days of _Olympica_'s maiden voyage. Truth was that Vera, who was planning to major in Political Sciences at Apollo University. She happened to bump into Rush the first day of the cruise and it paved the way for a friendship between the family and the talk show host. He felt a sense of happiness to know that even is a time like this David Rush was thinking of others.

"When the voyage began eight months ago, I don't think any of us imagined this would happen," Rush said.

"These are trying times we live in; many people are trying to interpret the events that have happened and I wonder if anyone truly knows the right answer," Leishman admitted.

"I've tried to make sense of what all has happened and I don't know if I can divine some purpose to this. Everything I've done since I took this job has been to keep this armada of ours from splintering into different groups," Rush said with a far off look in his eyes.

"I'm a chaplain and even I've had to try to make sense of what happened. People have asked me if the Cylons were some instrument of the gods sent to punish us, or are we going through some kind of trial that's going to make us all better in the end. It's an ironic thing that a man of faith can't interpret this in a way that suits everyone."

Rush chuckled. "I've found that when it comes to religion and faith it's impossible to make it fit everyone perfectly. All we can do in these times is doing the best we can with what we have. In some cases we have to do things we things we never dreamed we would have to do. I'm facing something like that now."

"I take it you're talking about this meeting you're going through with, I've heard from some of the people in your office that you agreed to meet with this Dante Solis person. Are you sure you can even trust him?" Leishman looked at Rush and tried to gauge where the man's thoughts were.

"Especially doing that, and I'm doing it to give people more time so that perhaps I can put an end to this. The responsibility of being the one in charge; I have to wonder how officers like Kronus and Tolan handled these kinds of situations."

"I know you feel you're doing the right thing but I do plan to say a prayer for you and those who are helping you on this matter," Leishman said as he stood up from where he was seated and turned to leave the room.

"Thank you, John; we'll see how things work for me."

Leishman nodded. "All things work themselves out for the best."

With Leishman gone Rush took a few moments to think over their conversation before he too left the room. As soon as he turned from closing the door he saw someone approaching.

"Mr. Governor, are you sure you want to do this?" Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler asked.

"I agree with the Lieutenant Governor; aren't you opening yourself up to being assassinated by Solis and his people?" Aurelia Gilliam, the Sagittaron member of the Quorum of Twelve, asked.

"This is just something to give Mitchell Cain time to get in position and take a shot at Solis. I think with this group it'll be easier to take them out once their leader has been eliminated once and for all," Rush said.

"You should let me come with you," Fowler said.

"No, you need to stay here in case the worst does happen," Rush said before adding, "We need to keep some continuity of government going and that means you stay behind."

"In that case, perhaps you should allow me to accompany you," Gilliam said.

Rush raised an eyebrow. "I see you've gotten over your shock; are you going to try some of your trademark grandstanding in order to distract Solis?"

Gilliam did not take the bait; "I know I can bring some added weight to your presence by being there and I can be an asset to any negotiations you may want to have in order to keep events from spiraling out of control."

"You do realize that from what I've seen so far you've done a lot of screeching and little of actual substance," Fowler said.

"How can you say that, have you not noticed how I've kept the military honest?" Gilliam countered.

"If by honest you mean they haven't been able to fight the Cylons because they've been too busy laughing at you then…sure," Fowler said as he fought back the urge to laugh at her statement.

"I don't believe you truly appreciate all that I do for the people of this fleet," she said with no small amount of righteous indignation.

"That's enough," Rush said before Fowler and Gilliam started arguing. "Ms. Gilliam is going to come with me for this."

"It's like I've always said, Governor Rush is a man of great wisdom and is able to lead us in these trying times," Gilliam said with a smug sense of satisfaction.

"Let's not get carried away, Ms. Gilliam; I have plenty of audio clips where you've stated that I was a clueless half-witted warmonger firmly in the pocket of the military and would never be mistaken for having the stones of a Tauron," Rush said.

"I may have said some things in the heat of the moment when my emotions got the better of me, but that was then and this is now!"

"Right, well I suppose there will be other times to discuss this," Rush said before noticing one of his aides trying to get his attention, "What is it…Mister…"

"Willis Hayes, Mr. Governor, there's a call on the phone for you from Dante Solis. He wishes to speak with you," the aide said as he held a wireless phone in his hand.

"This should be interesting," Rush said as he took the phone from Willis, "This is Governor Rush; is this Dante Solis I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"I bet you never had such an interesting guest on your radio show back in the day."

Rush kept his face neutral but there was no doubt the man on the other end of the call was in fact Dante Solis. "Funny that you would want to bring up life before the Cylons attacked."

"Just a reminder of how things were during our last days as a dying society. Can you look back on your life on Caprica and honestly say that you were better off?"

Rush shrugged even though he knew Solis could not see him. "I don't think our society as a whole was so bad. I think on all twelve worlds at one time or another there have been examples of each unique culture, both good and bad."

"We've lost our way and it's time to remedy that, in case you're wondering exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm not some madman with an insane plot; those are only in the movies."

'I'm pretty sure that's what you are.' Rush thought before asking, "What exactly is it that you're after?"

"I think it's important that we find a new world and allow our society to reset itself to a simpler time before we allow ourselves to be corrupted by the false god of technology. We need to cast that aside and take on a simpler lifestyle without all of the electronics and other items that we have become slaves to. We need to cast out the remnants of the government and allow a new and better society to arise from the ashes."

Rush shook his head. "What you're talking about is anarchy; do you know how many people would lose their lives in such an upheaval?"

"I'm a man of vision, Mr. Governor, and I am willing to sacrifice the weak few if it means a stronger and more purified society in the long run. All great moments in history have come with sacrifices both great and small. One of the differences between you and me is that I am willing to go to the lengths necessary to accomplish my goals."

"What are you hoping to accomplish with this current stunt you're pulling?"

"You are going to pass control of the government over to me and step down. From there I shall commence a search for a viable planet for us to settle. With that done, we shall take the necessary supplies and start to colonize our new home. The ships and other technological remnants will be cast out and destroyed so that we may move on in a different direction. If you don't do as I request, you will be responsible for the loss of one hostage an hour here in _Olympica_ Security; I have people on other ships in this fleet and when I give the signal they will add to the body count. As I said before, I am a man of vision and also a man of action. If you think I'm not willing to do what it takes to accomplish my goals you had better prepare to deal with the blood on your hands."

"What if I offered to meet with you at _Olympica_ Security? Perhaps we can negotiate this further. I don't want more bloodshed; there's been plenty of that already," Rush said and he hoped that Solis would be willing to go along with his request.

"You have half an hour to meet me at the main entrance, if you're not there by then I shall kill two hostages just because you were jerking me around. Good day, Mr. Governor."

"What did he say?" Fowler asked.

"Is he willing to meet with us?" Gilliam asked after Fowler had spoken.

"Yes he will meet with us and as for what he said…that man has way too much insanity going on in his head right now," Rush said as he fished a mobile phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"How are things at the office?" the voice of Mitchell Cain said on the other end of the phone.

"Solis has agreed to meet with us so that should buy you and your people some time to get in place. How's that coming along?"

There was a pause before Cain said, "We've reached a bit of an obstruction, it appears that the Colonial Line wanted to make sure _Olympica_ Security was going to be hard to break into through the ventilation system."

"So are you saying you can't do it?" Rush asked.

"Oh please, are you forgetting who you're talking to?" Cain asked with no lack of incredulity, "When this is over, remind me to tell you about the time I broke into the mansion of Cepheus Amni. He was this crime boss on Gemenon that I had to eliminate; now that was a challenge!"

"How silly of me to doubt you, Cain. Well, I am going to put a group together to come with me to meet with our friend. Any suggestions?"

"You need to bring Magnus with you, showing that the Eastern Alliance is willing to negotiate will be helpful. Also, bring someone from the Colonial Fleet but not a flag officer. If one of his men gets trigger happy it may not end well. Also, bring Karin Briggs; if he thinks the head of _Olympica_ Security is with you on this, it may help him to get arrogant enough to put his guard down."

Rush was impressed. "Did you think of all this off the top of your head."

There was a whooshing noise and a yelp of victory from Cain before he said, "You could say that, I've been playing the espionage game enough to know what needs to be done. Gods, some people out there are just too easy to play."

"I'll keep that in mind, Cain. Let me know when your people are in position."

"Copy that, Mr. Governor, we're not far from _Olympica_ Security, so by the time you get there we'll be in position," Cain said before the line went dead.

"Looks like Ms. Gilliam and I are going to have some company for this meeting. Magnus, would you be kind enough to come with us?"

"If it means I get the chance to wrap my hands around Dante Solis' neck then I'd be more than happy to come," Magnus said.

"I think we can arrange something along those lines," Rush said before turning to Karin Briggs. "Ms. Briggs, I would also like you to come with me. It will give Solis the impression that you're with me on these negotiations."

"I'll gladly go with you. Solis is holding my people hostage and has taken over a place I consider home. If Magnus doesn't get to him first then I'd be happy to put an end to the bastard," Briggs said.

"Glad you're on our side," Hunter said before stepping forward, "I'd like to come with you, Mr. Governor."

"You're coming with, if anyone asks you're the liaison between Solis and the Admiralty," Rush said.

"I appreciate you letting me come with you; his people tried to kill me and perhaps I'll get to return the favor," Hunter said.

"Don't be too eager for a fight, Major," Magnus said.

"Are you coming along?" Hunter asked.

"I would but I'm needed here to make sure my people follow orders and aren't too 'liberal' with interpreting their orders," Magnus said with a knowing smile.

"I'd hate to see something like that happen; it wouldn't do much to help your image."

Magnus nodded. "A fact I've been made painfully aware of in the past."

_**Olympica**_** Security Office: **

Solis put the phone back into its receiver and smiled, "Is it wrong that I'm skeptical of the Governor's honesty?"

Faustin shook his head. "I think being cautious about people's motives has helped us to make it this far."

Solis nodded his head. "It all seems to have happened so easily. I technically lost the battle but yet I seem to be close to winning the war, and all I can think is that Rush is plotting something."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was going to try something; the question to ask is if you're willing to double-cross him before he has a chance to do it to you?"

Solis was thoughtful as he pondered the question, "I've come too far to lose because of one man's deception. I'll have something up my sleeve for this meeting we're going to have, and if I think for even a split second that Rush is going to screw me over…there will be blood."


End file.
